Pauline Hanson Is Getting Roasted For Launching A “Battler Bus” With A Bottle Of Bubbly
She's also been accused of plagiarism.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson loves to portray herself as the hero of the downtrodden Aussie “battler”.
Even though she’s spent the last couple of decades as a professional politician and has more recently used her party’s clout in the Senate to vote for decidedly anti-battler policies like cutting welfare and family support payments, and voted against proposals to improve housing affordability, Hanson loves to style herself as the hero of ‘ordinary’, salt of the earth Australians.
This morning, just to really highlight how much One Nation loves battlers, Hanson launched the “Battler Bus”.
It’s here: @PaulineHansonOz’s Battler Bus is taking off from Brisbane today on a regional blitz @AAPNewswire #QldVotes #qldpol pic.twitter.com/XXdoCyolrM
— Sarah Motherwell (@SarahMotherwell) November 5, 2017
Pauline Hanson’s Battler Bus has arrived at Mount Coot-tha for a week-long tour of their key seats @7NewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/sYjpYAiv4O
— Ben Murphy (@BenBMurph) November 5, 2017
The bus, which features Hanson’s face and the awkward looking hashtag “PeopleB4Politics”, will travel around Queensland as part of One Nation’s campaign for the upcoming state election. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the bus’ launch.
Given Hanson’s track record on things like welfare payments, her previous support for cutting penalty rates, and her endorsement of the government’s anti-union industrial relations agenda, it’s fair to say that One Nation is more likely to throw battlers under the bus than actually represent them.
The concept of the bus also drew criticism from Labor senator Sam Dastyari who accused Hanson of lifting the idea from Labor.
FFS Pauline. First you get foreigners like Malcolm Roberts to take high paying Australian jobs, then this!!!
GET YOUR OWN IDEAS. pic.twitter.com/8aTHRjWSCk
— Sam Dastyari (@samdastyari) November 5, 2017
In Hanson’s defence (not a phrase I expected to write, but there you go) I don’t think it’s fair for Labor to take credit for the concept of the campaign bus, they have been around for a while.
Hanson also copped from people pointing out that in addition to the bus, she also owns a private plane:
I guess Pauline Hanson's 'battler bus' is slightly more relatable than her private plane.
— Shannon Molloy (@sleemol) November 5, 2017
But the highlight of the launch was definitely Hanson’s decision to christen the Battler Bus with what appeared to be a bottle of champagne.
She is launching a ‘battler bus’ with champagne. YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP. pic.twitter.com/gO2gSOFZKj
— Sam Dastyari (@samdastyari) November 6, 2017
It’s a pretty jarring image… a bus designed to campaign on behalf of the humble battler being sprayed with champagne wielded by a politician earning $200,000 a year.
Hanson christens the BATTLER bus with champagne ?. Comedy gold.
— BeachedAZ ? (@AmbientUXr) November 6, 2017
Pauline Hanson christening her "battler bus" with champagne ? is getting close to the most tone deaf thing she's ever done. #auspol pic.twitter.com/3mjtzrZOmH
— Rachel Baker ? (@RachelBkr) November 6, 2017
Upon closer inspection it turns out the bottle of bubbly was a Yellowglen Pink, which retails at Dan Murphy’s for a cheeky $6.85.
So it’s not quite the same as spraying around a bottle of Cristal, but is it really the most Aussie battler way of christening your new vehicle? We’re not convinced.
actually, christening your battler bus with anything other than bottom shelf domestic beer results in a cursed bus
— Nick Evershed (@NickEvershed) November 6, 2017
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Feature image via Sarah Motherwell/Twitter