Pauline Hanson has been forced to clarify One Nation’s housing policy after several party members gave conflicting explanations in media interviews.
Under the proposed policy, foreign property owners in Australia would be required to sell their homes within two years or face government repossession.
However, confusion emerged when One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce suggested the policy would also apply to permanent residents who are not citizens. He initially said they would be required to sell their properties, stating, “Become an Australian citizen and that’s going to deal with the issue.”
He later reversed his position after further discussions with the party, confirming that permanent residents would not be affected. “On further investigation and discussions with One Nation, no, we are not going to be kicking permanent residents out of their house,” he said.
Following the confusion, Pauline Hanson clarified that the policy would apply only to temporary visa holders and foreign citizens living overseas, who would be given two years to sell their Australian property. She also said international students, non-permanent residents, and non-citizens would be barred from buying property in the future.
Despite the clarification, further uncertainty arose when Senator Sean Bell was unable to explain what would happen if properties were not sold within the two-year deadline or whether the government would enforce repossession. His radio interview ended early after repeated questioning on the issue.
Critics including Deputy Opposition Leader Jane Hume, said the policy appeared unclear and poorly defined. She argued that even One Nation seemed uncertain about how the plan would work in practice, calling it more of a slogan than a fully developed policy.