A surprise visit by Pauline Hanson to Glen Innes caused a stir in the street yesterday.
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Senator Hanson, founder and leader of the right-wing populist One Nation Party, was passing through town on her way to Tamworth.
Mayor Carol Sparks talked to Senator Hanson about the need for more GPs in our towns, and for on-the-ground local mental health services.
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“I was alerted to the fact that she was walking up the street,” Cr Sparks said, “so I went over to introduce myself.
“We had a very polite conversation, and she was very sympathetic to our needs, although she said her focus is on her community in Queensland. It was very short, very friendly.”
They were joined by business people and community members who recognized Senator Hanson.
“A lot of people came up and spoke to her,” Cr Sparks said, “and seemed very impressed that she had actually visited our town.”
As a Greens member, Cr Sparks has little in common with Senator Hanson politically – but, the mayor said, they can find common ground.
“She's a country person, and I think that we have some things that are similar. We need to broaden our horizons, and start talking to each other. We do have big differences, but we also have similarities, so we need to work on those positive things.
“There's a lot of things that we can agree on; we can debate and discuss, We need to agree maybe to disagree sometimes, but always be polite and constructive in our conversations.”