Mark Seymour Blasts Pauline Hanson On 'Q&A': 'One Nation Is Completely Bogus'

Mark Seymour made the most of his appearance on last night's Q&A by ripping into the One Nation party and its leader, Pauline Hanson. 

As The New Daily notes, The Hunters & Collectors frontman featured on the panel of the ABC panel and fielded a question from the audience about how the western world should respond to the "threat of Muslims worldwide to establish a worldwide caliphate".

"When one particular politician stands up and deliberately cultivates hatred in the Australian community, what she’s doing is deflecting your attention away from what she’s really offering politically," Seymour said.

"It's what's on the rest of her policy agenda you should be looking at.

"I just think One Nation is completely bogus. I just think it doesn't really have a meaningful political agenda. It is not a party that is capable of governing this country. 

"And she's using Islam as a means of deflecting your attention away from all the other policies she has on offer, like a two per cent flat tax and abolishing the GST. Really? She seriously thinks that’s going to work?"

Seymour didn't mince his words when discussing Australia's immigration policy, either.

"We've been able to maintain this very methodical and strict system of controlling the influx of refugees because we are surrounded by water," he said.

"Geography has a lot to do with the way we've been able to manage it, but it also has meant that we've been able to politically exploit the lives of a very small number of people who've come the wrong way and ended up in those camps. 

"They are invisible. They have no voice and they've been punished severely because they had the courage to get on boats. 

"I really want to see those places closed down. I think they are a stain on the political reputation of our leaders."

Seymour also used his time on the show to address the recent controversy in which PETA asked that Hunters & Collectors change their name to discourage duck hunting. 

The singer suggested that what PETA were successful in doing was raising awareness about the issue. 

"What they were doing was drawing attention to the fact that [duck hunting] takes place in Victoria for three months and it starts in the middle of March," he said.

"And it appears that they've been quite successful in drawing attention to that fact… the media is still talking about it."

Seymour concluded that Hunters & Collectors won't be changing their name but that he "won't be shooting ducks either".

Seymour will embark on a national tour this June in support of new LP, Roll Back The Stone 1985-2016. 

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