One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is set to speak alongside a popular podcaster at an anti-mass immigration rally in Brisbane.
Ms Hanson will take the stage with combat veteran Sam Bamford, host of the 2 Worlds Collide podcast, at the Australia Marches event in the Roma Street Parklands on September 13.
Rally organiser Scott Challen, who founded the Australian Lobby Group with Mr Bamford, will also speak at the demonstration, as will lobbyist Lachlan Lade, and the protest will kick off the group’s eight-week national tour.
Mr Challen said protesters would be calling for a hard five-year immigration halt, a major reduction in temporary visas, stronger enforcement of current visa rules, and a review of Australia’s migration system.
“Australia cannot keep increasing its population faster than we can build the houses, roads and infrastructure required to support it,” he said.
“When you realise that Britain’s extraordinary net migration surge amounted to around 3.8% of its population, while Australia’s was around 5.1%, you begin to understand the scale of what has happened here.
“Our position is straightforward. Shut the gates hard for five years, get the country back under control and then have an honest national conversation about what immigration should look like going forward.”
Mr Challen, who attended a free speech march in Brisbane last weekend, said immigration had emerged as a major issue since tens of thousands of patriotic Australians took to the streets this time last year for nationwide March for Australia rallies.
“12 months ago Australians marching against mass immigration were mocked, smeared and told they represented some fringe of the population. A year later immigration has become one of the biggest political issues in the country,” he said.
Ms Hanson’s decision to speak at the rally comes after she and her party went back on a long-standing commitment to deliver net negative overseas migration and said she now wanted net overseas migration of 130,000, sparking anger from supporters.
The September 13 rally starts at 12pm at Emma Miller Place, and attendees are asked to bring Australian flags.
Header image: Ms Hanson speaking at an Australia Marches event in Canberra in April (One Nation).
