Hanson MIA amid resurfaced 'racist' comments + The $855bn cost of rising seas

Chris Spyrou (0:07)

Hey, it's Chris Spyrou with you. Welcome to The Briefing. The physical impacts of rising sea levels are well documented in Australia, but for the first time, someone stopped to think about just how much it'll cost us financially.

Andrew Watkins (0:19)

We feel that $855 billion, so, you know, approaching a trillion dollars in costs to Australia by the end of the century is fairly conservative.

Chris Spyrou (0:30)

A chat about the price tag from climate change's impacts on our oceans is in the second half of this episode. First, though, let's get into the headlines with Sacha Barbour Gatt. It's Tuesday, September the 15th.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (0:42)

Hey, Chris. One Nation has vowed to put the will of Australians over the warnings of experts after unveiling its migration policy and copping criticism that it would devastate the economy.

Pauline Hanson posted a social media video yesterday revealing her party's plan to slash the number of migrants by 750,000 over three years, with a particular focus on international students and family members of skilled migrants. The policy would include the forcible removal of non-visa holders, penalties for businesses that employ illegal workers, and lifetime bans on entering Australia for overstayers.

Chris Spyrou (1:17)

Experts have been quick to condemn the policy on a number of fronts, including economists, universities, the aged care sector, and business groups, who say the plan would be disastrous and could push the country to recession.

SPEAKER_4 (1:29)

As an act of public policy, if you're going to take 750,000 people...

Chris Spyrou (1:33)

766 Okay.

SPEAKER_4 (1:35)

Sorry, again, 766,000 people out of the Australian economy and society for three years, you have tanked the Australian economy.

Chris Spyrou (1:43)

Economist George Megalogenis on the ABC there. You also heard Barnaby Joyce, One Nation's Treasury spokesperson speaking. He was undeterred by the swift condemnation of the policy by experts, Labor and the Coalition, saying Australians are tired of hearing from economists.

SPEAKER_4 (2:00)

This has to be dealt with. We will deal with it.

Chris Spyrou (2:02)

No matter the cost.

SPEAKER_4 (2:03)

No matter the cost. We will deal with it. And it is our policy and we go forward with it. Are you worried about what the Parliamentary Budget Office is trying to produce? No, I'm not really, because they're not elected. I am.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (2:14)

It just really is reminding me of Trump politics in a big, big way, where it's like, no, sorry, that's just what I think. So it seems like we are with hearing more from One Nation and it's actually coming forward on policies and then being challenged on those policies. It doesn't want to answer the questions. It just wants to say, no, no, no.

So I guess we can expect to hear more of that. And look, while we're speaking of Joyce, he was the one to front the media and journalists' questions yesterday with Pauline Hanson, noticeably MIA. Now, the One Nation leader also didn't attend the Senate, with many speculating it's due to the current pressure on her to apologize over a number of recent missteps, including calling the Coalition's Andrew Hasty a traitor and insulting the memory of the Prime Minister's dead mum.

Chris Spyrou (2:59)

But yesterday, another previous podcast appearance of hers was resurfaced during which she labelled Australia's Indigenous people the most primitive race on earth. The comments made a year ago on the Little Known JJ podcast have drawn blistering condemnation for the Senator once again from across the political divide.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (3:17)

So the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Melandere McCarthy, had this to say. It's totally outrageous, completely racist, but it also divides our country in a way that we do not want to see happen right here in Australia.

Andrew Watkins (3:31)

Senator Hanson purports to represent the people of Queensland.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (3:35)

I'd like to remind her that that means First Nations people. While Coalition Senator Jacinta Nampajimpa Price posted a scathing rebuke of Hanson, accusing her of willful ignorance and saying she dragged the issue into appalling territory. Now, Price has been considered a possible defector to One Nation. So interesting to see her coming out so strongly against Hanson. But while she was nowhere to be seen yesterday, she did post on X a couple of times. And one of them was, she reposted the full clip of her comments on that JJ podcast. And I just don't really want to repeat more of it than we need to. You can go and look it up if you want.

It's just awful, quite frankly. I can't really sugarcoat it any more than that.

But she said, oh, the media is in a tailspin. You have a look and be the judge. As in saying to people, watch the clip and decide for yourself. I don't know how you can watch or listen to what she said and not view it as racist. Just point blank. I can't see.