Senator Pauline Hanson has been a “one-trick pony” for her entire political career, with nothing to offer other than punching down on the already marginalised, vulnerable or oppressed.

However, Hanson made headlines on May 21 with her call for a 10% royalty to be paid on the value of gas at the point of extraction to replace the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT). She did this at the Australian Energy Producers Conference in Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide.

The significant gas industry expansion, meaning sky-rocketing income and profits for the big petroleum companies, has not translated into higher tax revenue via the PRRT because of the way it is designed.

Hanson also pushed for a 30% tax break for mining exploration in exchange for the federal government having the option to buy a 30% stake in new projects.

Hanson described her policy as “bold”, saying: “We want more gas, more oil and more energy to drive our economy forward, pay down our debts and secure our energy future … Any profits made on Australia’s equity ownership will be put into a sovereign wealth fund to reinvest and grow, not to be rorted by future governments.”

Her party is encouraging more fossil fuel extraction precisely when it should be phased out. Labor and Liberal MPs were quick to condemn it, not wanting the big oil and gas corporations to cough up a single cent more in taxes or royalties.

Liberal MP James Patterson gave Hanson’s pretence of taking on big oil an undeserved boost, claiming that she had “borrowed from Venezuela and Hugo Chávez, not Australia”.

This is complete nonsense, but Hanson........

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