Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au

Aaron Bunch
One Nation’s Dickson quits over strip club

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says there’s no place in her party for right-hand man Steve Dickson after his strip club romp in the US.

April 30, 2019

Aaron Bunch, Tracey Ferrier

Pauline Hanson has told voters they deserve better after sacking the Queensland leader of One Nation, Steve Dickson, over his alcohol-fuelled strip club romp in which he groped a dancer and made offensive comments.

The One Nation boss says she was shocked and disappointed by footage of Mr Dickson’s actions at a Washington DC strip club last year and there was no longer a place for him in her party.

Mr Dickson, who was also a Senate candidate, resigned as soon as footage of his x-rated antics was aired by the Nine Network on Monday night.

The footage showed him cavorting with strippers and he was also caught saying: “I’ve done more Asian than I know what to do with”.

Senator Hanson said lots of men went to strip clubs but it was Mr Dickson’s language and behaviour that failed to live up to her expectations and those of voters.

“I am both shocked and disappointed at the vision I forced myself to watch,” she told reporters on Tuesday.

“Steve Dickson yesterday offered his resignation from all positions within the party which I have accepted.”

The recording was captured by an undercover journalist and leaked to Nine’s A Current Affair.

Senator Hanson accused the Qatari-backed television news network Al Jazeera – which recorded the footage last year – of trying to hurt her party three weeks out from the federal election.

Al Jazeera said it did not give Nine permission to screen the footage, filmed as part of an undercover investigation into meetings about political donations between Mr Dickson, Senator Hanson’s chief of staff James Ashby and America’s National Rifle Association.

“They have sat on this information and footage for over seven months and conveniently gave the tapes to (Nine’s) A Current Affair less than three weeks out from a federal election,” Senator Hanson said.

The One Nation leader said she was getting “kicked in the guts time and time again” and was “absolutely sick of it”.

“Why is everyone so frightened of myself, why is everyone so frightened of One Nation? And it’s quite evident in this election,” she told A Current Affair on Tuesday.

“I cop all this shit all the time and I’m sick of it.”

In an emotional interview, Senator Hanson admitted if she could turn back time, she would tell Mr Dickson and Mr Ashby not to travel to the US.

Mr Dickson’s name will still appear on the upper house ballot paper on May 18 but Senator Hanson said voters would know he no longer represented One Nation.

Earlier, Mr Dickson issued a statement saying he was very upset with himself.

“I found the footage difficult to watch as my words and actions under intoxication and in that environment are not a true reflection of myself,” he said.

“I am also deeply remorseful for my disrespectful comments towards women.

“The footage shown does not reflect the person I am. It shows a person who was drunk and not in control of his actions.”

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten condemned Mr Dickson’s comments as “absolutely appalling”.

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