TV

Pauline Hanson And Derryn Hinch Faced Off In A Totally Unnecessary Debate On Refugees This Morning

"It's offensive even having you on the bloody program."

by Meg Watson  8 September 2015

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As the international community pledges unprecedented support for refugees fleeing Syria and surrounds, incredible pressure is growing on Australia to do the same. Tens of thousands around the country gathered last night at Light The Dark to mourn the death of toddler Aylan Kurdi and call for the government to increase their intake of asylum seekers, and similar calls are coming from unexpected places too.

Over the weekend, Liberal NSW Premier Mike Baird made an emotional plea for compassion on the issue, overnight Liberal backbencher Ewen Jones urged the nation to accept more than double the number of refugees than first stated, and now Tony Abbott’s been forced to reconsider his decision. Though no details are set in stone, he made an address this morning stating, “We can and will do more”.

Accordingly, the issue has dominated much of the news cycle and Sunrise scheduled a debate on the matter for this morning’s show. It was a debate that would have no doubt been significantly more interesting and worthwhile if it hadn’t featured shock jock Derryn Hinch and noted lunatic Pauline Hanson screaming each other into oblivion.

The whole thing started with Hanson essentially filibustering the interview to talk about refugees taking jobs in regional Australia and the nation’s inability to deal with the financial strain of resettlement. She seamlessly injected the words “reverse racism” into it, and then was promptly cut off by both Kochie and Hinch himself.

Though he stated he supports the government’s policy to turn back boats, Hinch was arguing in favour of allowing more refugees into the country and appeared unapologetically irate with the whole thing. “It’s offensive even having you on the bloody program,” he said. “This is the worst refugee situation since World War II and the world can’t sit back and do nothing.”

Despite Kochie’s attempt to mediate the situation, Hansen ploughed on.

“I have met a Vietnamese taxi driver and he totally agrees,” she said. “We have never had the problems in this country than we have with the Muslims … If you want to have peace and harmony in this country you cannot keep increasing the Muslims and Islam in Australia. We are going to have huge problems down the track.”

The whole thing fizzled out from there and Hinch emphatically stated he regretted being in the segment at all. Those on Twitter were equally as scathing:

And so begins another sterling week of public debate in Australian breakfast television.