Murray Watt accuses Pauline Hanson of pushing ‘division, chaos and cuts’ after National Press Club address

Environment Minister Murray Watt has accused Pauline Hanson of promoting a platform of “division, chaos and cuts”, escalating Labor’s attack on the One Nation leader after her headline-grabbing National Press Club address.

Senator Hanson used her speech in Canberra on Wednesday to outline a sweeping agenda that included describing multiculturalism as a “failed policy”, calling for a major overhaul of industrial relations laws and renewing her opposition to Net Zero emissions targets and renewable energy policies.

Speaking on ABC Breakfast on Thursday morning, Mr Watt said One Nation’s growing support should not distract voters from what he claimed were the real implications of the party’s policies.

“The real issue that came clear yesterday, her press club address, is that her plan for Australia is one of division chaos and cuts,” he said.

“She made it really clear that she wants to cut people’s wages, make it easier for them to get sacked by their boss, and she wants to cut health care, which means paying more for a GP.”

Mr Watt argued Senator Hanson’s support had primarily come at the expense of the Coalition rather than Labor, but acknowledged the government needed to continue making its case to voters amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures.

The minister also strongly rejected Senator Hanson’s criticism of climate action, accusing One Nation of ignoring scientific consensus and pushing policies that would drive up household power bills.

“The reality is that I think it’s well over 90 per cent of the world’s climate scientists agree that we’ve got a very serious problem,” he said.

“But more broadly, what we know is that taking action on climate change, especially through investing in more renewable energy, is the best way to bring power prices down as well.”

He claimed Senator Hanson’s support for nuclear energy would increase costs for consumers rather than lower them.

Mr Watt also took aim at One Nation’s proposed workplace reforms, arguing they would reverse gains made under Labor since it came to power.

“Every single time we’ve done something to increase wages, that One Nation party, the Liberals and Nationals, have teamed up to vote against those changes,” he said.

“What we know, both from their record and what Senator Hanson said yesterday, is if they were to form some kind of coalition government together, we’d see wages back down again.”

One of the most controversial elements of Senator Hanson’s address was her declaration that Australia should move away from multiculturalism, which she described as a failed experiment.

Mr Watt dismissed the claim, arguing Australia’s diversity was one of its greatest strengths.

“Australia is the most successful multicultural nation in the world,” he said.

“It’s a good thing for Australia that we have peoples from so many cultures, all uniting behind the Australian flag and the Australian way of life.”

He accused Senator Hanson of targeting multiple sections of the community during her speech and warned that governments could not succeed by “fuelled by grievances against different groups”.

“What you’ve got to do is actually bring people together for a common goal and take Australia forward,” he said.