Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has warned Australians not to support a "dangerous" and "delusional" Pauline Hanson, drawing comparisons between the One Nation leader and controversial international leaders. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
In a speech during adjournment last night in the Senate, the Tasmanian senator said she had received a stream of abuse after her impassioned defence of Andrew Hastie after he was repeatedly labelled a "traitor" in One Nation's cartoon series.
"One Nation whips up the anger and they tell people who to blame. That's the populist trick ... It's a trick Australia, and we've got to wake up to it. Because every time a populist leader, like Trump or Farage, get any power, the lives of working people don't get better. They get worse," she said.
The outspoken senator criticised Donald Trump's potential forever war with Iran while singling out Hanson's support of his actions.
"You'd put [Australian soldiers] back in another American forever war? [Hanson] is not only dangerous, she's delusional!" Lambie said.
Lambie said figures such as Trump and Nigel Farage were great at telling people they would fight for them while doing the opposite.
"Senator Hanson will be fine in her retirement, as will Nigel and Donald in theirs, because once again they are feathering their own nests ... Australia can choose not to follow the ugly politics of populism, we can do better because we bloody are better," she said.
"And it's not about right or left, it's about respect and finding solutions, and not operating from a place of fear – whatever side you're on," she added.
Meanwhile, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said he was "comforted" by international calls to pause the development of artificial intelligence. He made the remark in the context of discussions on AI safety and regulation.
Lambie's speech came as populist rhetoric and AI regulation are being raised in parallel in the Australian parliament. The senator's criticism of Hanson was a response to One Nation's cartoon series repeatedly labelling Andrew Hastie a "traitor".
Criticising Trump's potential war with Iran, Lambie described Hanson's support for his actions as "delusional". She also criticised the populist methods of Trump and Farage, noting that when they gain power, the lives of working people get worse.
According to the senator, Australia can choose not to follow the ugly politics of populism, and it is not about right or left but about respect and finding solutions.
Marles's comment on artificial intelligence reflects the Australian government's search for a balance between technological development and security. He said he found "comfort" in the calls of those urging a pause on AI.
Thus, criticism of populism and questions of AI regulation are developing in parallel in Australian politics. Lambie's words about Hanson and Marles's opinion on AI have become one of the main topics of political discourse in the country.