Senator Pauline Hanson
Pauline Hanson, born 1954 in Brisbane, has 4 children and 2 grandchildren. Her first husband was a Polish refugee who migrated to Australia with his mother in the early 1950s. In 1987, Pauline bought a takeaway business which she ran for 10 years until 1997. She was also a small cattle producer. In 1994, Pauline entered politics for the first time and was elected as a councilor on the Ipswich City Council until 1995. She joined the Liberal Party and was endorsed as their candidate for the Federal seat of Oxley. Pauline was calling for equality for all Australians and in doing so was labelled racist and disendorsed by John Howard in 1996. Pauline contested the election as an Independent, winning the seat with the biggest swing the nation had ever seen. Pauline's election to Parliament made her the first Independent woman to hold a seat in the House of Representatives. The Bulletin named Pauline one of the most influential Australians in 2006. Today, Pauline is leader and National Chairman of the party she founded in 1996, and she serves in Federal Government as a Senator.
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