Hanson heavy gets rousing reception

August 13, 1998
Issue 
328

Hanson heavy gets rousing reception

By Annemarie Hopcroft

NEWCASTLE — David Oldfield, Pauline Hanson's "trusted adviser", was greeted by a vocal crowd as he arrived at a Newcastle Business Club luncheon on August 4. The 30 or so protesters condemned One Nation's racist policies.

Speakers at the rally, which was organised by Resistance, expressed frustration at the federal government's support for many of One Nation's policies and its refusal to combat the rise of racism.

Oldfield told the One Nation meeting not to worry about the protesters because they were a "fascist, communist" youth group that "follow One Nation leaders everywhere". In a radio interview beforehand, he said that those who protested against One Nation were "ugly" and you could "tell by looking at them what sort of party they would oppose".

Oldfield said One Nation would create a "tariff fortress" around Newcastle, making it "unprofitable" for BHP to move its operations overseas. He refused to answer questions about One Nation's attitude to trade unions.

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