This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Will Pauline Hanson Snatch A Senate Seat?

The anti-immigrant, veteran campaigner is in with a chance.
Pauline Hanson may be in contention to win a Queensland Senate seat.
Reuters
Pauline Hanson may be in contention to win a Queensland Senate seat.

Could Pauline Hanson make another tilt at the senate?

Almost 20 years since the controversial, anti-immigration MP made her first tilt at parliament it appears Hanson, 61, could take a Queensland seat in the senate.

The Australian reports that with the vote once secured by Clive Palmer's party in 2013 now up for up for grabs, Hanson is back in contention as a "wildcard beneficiary" of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's decision to call a double-dissolution election with new voting rules for the senate.

Since Palmer dropped out, Hanson only has to battle with Senator Glenn Lazarus to pick up the Queensland's conservative protest vote.

It is her 12th election campaign, including council elections.

"I keep going because our voting system is corrupt and I have been cheated," she told The Australian.

"I am hoping this time it will be different."

Meanwhile speculation is mounting about the future of Northern Territory senator Nova Peris, amid reports she has approached the AFL for a job.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten would not be drawn Peris' future at a press conference in Perth on Tuesday.

"Nova Peris is a very strong representative for the Territory, and indeed all Indigenous Australians," he said.

"She's made history on the track and in the Parliament.

"I'm sure that Nova Peris will continue to make a contribution inside the Parliament or outside of it."

Peris took the top spot on Labor's Senate ticket in January 2013, controversially replacing veteran Trish Crossin in what then prime minister Julia Gillard called a "captain's pick".

It is understood another strongly favoured contender for the AFL job is Justin Mohamed, the chief executive of Reconciliation Australia.

If Peris takes the job, the ALP would be forced to move quickly to select a new candidate for her Senate position before the July 2 Election.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.