'I agree on immigration': Dick Smith backs Hanson as One Nation looks for homegrown Trump-factor
Millionaire businessman Dick Smith will back Pauline Hanson in a push to woo voters in western Sydney as Australian voters show their intent to mimic the same wave of discontent that propelled Donald Trump to the White House.
The Daily Telegraph reports the former Australian of the Year has held talks with the One Nation leader, and will advise her as the party attempts to catch votes from citizens fed up with the Liberal and Labor parties.
“I agree with her views on immigration numbers, that is about 70,000 a year, not 200,000. But I do not agree with her views on Muslim immigration,” Mr Smith said.
“I noticed that Pauline’s is about the only political party that has a policy on not having perpetual population growth.”
Dick Smith has been a vocal opponent of Australia’s immigration targets, insisting a lesser intake would stabilise population growth and help young people enter the housing market.
He said there were also thousands of votes going begging in Australia’s aviation community.
“I support her policy on Julian Assange. I support her immigration policy. She says she’s going to have a policy to help general aviation,” Mr Smith said.
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More and more Australian pundits are beginning to recognise a homegrown movement reminiscent of the wave of disenchantment in the US that propelled Donald Trump to the presidency.
Stronger polling numbers for Senator Hanson’s One Nation party, the recent success of the Nick Xenophon team and perpetually dire polls for Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten are being recognised as evidence Australian voters too are sick of their 'establishment' candidates.
Increasing votes for the Greens, the flash-in-the-pan success of the Palmer United party and growing informal votes have also been seen as evidence of a tired voter-base for Coalition and Labor candidates.
“So many of my friends who normally voted Coalition reckon they are going to vote for Pauline Hanson,” Mr Smith told News Corp.
“You only have to look at what happened in America with Trump. People are so disillusioned with our present party politics.
“Our politicians don’t tell the truth. They’re all actors.”
Trump's election victory came largely thanks to surprise results in America's "Rust Belt" region, where factories and union towns deserted Democrats candidate Hillary Clinton, rallying to the billionaire's "Make America Great Again" battle cry.
These ideas are not lost on Senator Hanson.
“People are just really fed up with the major parties and screaming out for change,” she told the Telegraph.
“I think there’s a move on across the country for One Nation… People know I care about the country and the people are sick of career politicians.”
Mr Smith said he disagreed with Senator Hanson’s policies towards Muslims but said he had asked her about claims she was racist to which she had responded she did not believe herself to be superior to people from other backgrounds.
