If Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party wins the balance of power at the November 25 state election or a party requires One Nation’s support to form government, one key plan on the agenda will be an MP pay rise freeze.
The policy which would see no state MP receive a pay rise in the next term of government, is one of five key One Nation policies outlined by Queensland party leader Steve Dickson.
The other policies include; scrapping the cross river rail, changes to the taxi industry to have ride-share schemes pay the same insurances and charges required of cab drivers, introduction of medicinal cannabis, and the removal of the Safe Schools Program in Queensland schools.
The current Labor government has ruled out doing any deals with One Nation but former LNP premier Campbell Newman has said the Tim Nicholls led coalition could not form government without the support of Pauline Hanson’s party.
Logan One Nation candidate Scott Bannan said the party believes the public do not believe politicians are deserving of their pay rises, which are currently determined by an independent tribunal.
“If you ask Queenslanders if politicians deserve a pay rise you'll find more than 90 per cent would say no,” he said.
“You can't receive a pay rise when the people that pay your wages are struggling from your poor management.”
Mr Bannan said the reason his party has placed the pay freeze high in their list of demands is due to their belief that the current crop of representatives are not deserving of an increase in pay.
“Stopping the pay rise won't even dent the state debt, it's a matter of principle for the people of Queensland,” he said.
“We listen to the people, no one feels that the government has done their job good enough to deserve a pay rise, and when they get a pay rise it's like a kick in the guts to all the people that are struggling.”
A Galaxy poll released at the start of this week had One Nation at 18 per cent of the primary vote with Labor on 35 per cent and LNP on 32 per cent.
