Jacqui Lambie Addressed The “Nasty” Anti-Muslim Comments She Made In The Past
"I was nearly mirroring Pauline Hanson, and it was scary."
Independent Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has opened up about her controversial past, expressing regret for the “nasty stuff” she did in her earlier years in politics.
Lambie, who has made headlines recently for calling out the ridiculousness of One Nation’s proposed vaccine discrimination bill, has made some pretty good points in recent months. However, her controversial past — which has been filled with anti-Muslim and other hateful comments — cannot be ignored.
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Lambie claims she “used to be just a wrecking ball”. “I was chaotic. When I come up here, I didn’t even know what the Lower or Upper House was,” she told columnist Peter FitzSimons. “All I knew was that I need six or seven per cent of the vote, so I could be half-a-chance of helping the veterans and the only way to get help was if one of us was to get inside to put things right.”
Lambie was then asked about her past, which included making headlines for some “really, really nasty stuff” in her early political career — which she blames on “an advisor that was making me say things that were way too right-wing.”
“Certainly some of my anti-Muslim comments,” she responded when asked if she was ever ‘too strong’. “There was no need… So this is what happens when you don’t have the right advice around you. And you are trusting them because you have no idea about politics, and a lot of things I was saying were very divisive. I was nearly mirroring Pauline Hanson, and it was scary.
“When I look back now I just cringe at some of those speeches that I made. It has taken me a long while to make amends. But now I am not holding back. I’ve wanted to say a few things about Pauline Hanson for so long – she’s just so divisive, so awful – and I am not holding back.”
It’s worth noting that throughout this interview, Lambie didn’t actually apologise for her historic comments that were cloaked in anti-Muslim hate, among other things.
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