I joined Peter last night to discuss opening Queensland borders, #AllLivesMatter and troubles in the fishing industry.
Transcript
[Gleeson]
All right, there’s no doubt the Queensland government’s hard line stance on border closures has caused widespread backlash and anger among businesses in the tourism sector. Joining me now One Nation Senator, Malcolm Roberts, Malcolm, thanks for joining us. What is in the ground from your constituency, when it comes to these border closures?
[Roberts]
I’m hearing that they want the truth, Peter. That’s what they want. And they want to see a premier with a plan. And a premier that doesn’t roll back and just rely upon the Chief Medical Officer and leave her with all the heat.
They want a premier who can come out and tell the truth and I don’t think they’re ever gonna get that from this Queensland Labor Government. It just doesn’t trust people. That’s one of the issues here that we can explore later, if you like.
The lack of trust in the people because countries that have done really well on handling COVID much much better than Australia. Taiwan, for example, has kept its economy healthy, because it’s isolated the sick and it’s isolated the vulnerable and the rest continue to work and they’ve had a fraction of the deaths that we’ve had because they’ve isolated the sick and the vulnerable. Paluszczuk has done the reverse.
She’s isolated everyone, and that’s insane. And so people have had enough of this.
[Gleeson]
Malcolm, let’s talk about your leader Pauline Hanson’s motion earlier today. All lives matter is the motion. Now, it’s caused quite a fair bit of controversy in the Senate, but it’s also garnered a lot of support. What are you saying about that particular motion?
[Roberts]
I say exactly what she said. And that is that the other parties the other politicians in the senate are gutless. They have no regard for lives. Look I’ll tell you something, Peter. Yesterday we were here and we heard so many speeches, Pauline had a matter of public importance.
And it was about this topic and about law breakers who are violating the law by protesting, and many, many of the liberals came out and said “all lives matter.” But today, they were afraid to do that. And we think it’s because the Liberal Party is split some are woke and some are decent people.
Labor Party Senator Helen Polly from Tasmania tweeted “all lives matter,” just a few days ago. She got eaten alive in her party. And she withdrew it from Facebook. I mean, what is the matter with this country? What is the matter with the so called leaders of this country, Peter?
When we can’t even say all lives matter in one of the two main parties and half the other people in the other party are split It is just insane, all lives matter.
[Gleeson]
Malcolm, the Prime Minister has said that anyone who goes out and protests this weekend should be charged. Are you hopeful that police will actually act on what the Prime Minister is saying?
[Roberts]
Why even, Palaszczuk up in Queensland, she encouraged them, encouraged protesters last week, Peter I think she said something like, “You shouldn’t protest, but if you do, “then make sure you maintain social distancing.” I mean, how ridiculous is that?
That is encouraging people to social distance if the top of the state government, the Premier actually actively encourages protesting what hope have the police got of enforcing it? No they won’t, they’re gutless just like Andrews down in Victoria Berejiklian tried but the courts swept away from her.
So no I don’t have any faith in the government system backing the police and when the police won’t be backed, what can they do? The police in Queensland are fine generally speaking, they’re wonderful people, they do their job. They are loyal, and they’re efficient and effective.
But when the top of the tree gives up, then you’ve got anarchy on the march.
[Gleeson]
Just quickly Malcolm, what’s the latest on the fishing reforms that you guys are pushing?
[Roberts]
I don’t know where they’re actually at in the Queensland parliament, but we’re just trying to build up a head of steam by listening to a lot of fishermen. And so what we, for example, there’s a fisherman who has been fishing many many years in Rockhampton.
He’s had a 75% cut in his income before COVID and he’s now trying to survive on $10,000 a year. These people are working their guts out. They know fishing, they’re very practical people, but instead of them running their businesses and instead of them running their industry, bureaucrats in West End in Brisbane are running the industry.
They’ve got excessive no-go zones. They’ve got excessive limited zones. Do you know that in the Barrier Reef according to the World’s Institute for Reef, they say that the limit for a reef like the Great Barrier Reef is 15,000 kilograms per square kilometre catch per year, Queensland has nine kilograms that’s less than 0.06%.
[Gleeson]
Extraordinary
[Roberts]
It’s a fraction of 1%. This is an enormous resource. It’s a renewable resource. we’re importing 80% of the seafood we eat and exporting some of the food.
[Gleeson]
Senator Malcolm Roberts, great to see you tonight. Thank you for joining us, much appreciated.
[Roberts]
Thanks Peter.
