ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Senator Pauline Hanson has defended her recreational use of equine tranquilizer at a West Australian music festival earlier this year after it came under fire from local Aboriginal groups.
Dressed in her usual Galactic Senate-inspired garb, complete with a bejeweled rail engineer’s hat, Ms. Hanson was seen enjoying herself immensely at the Wave Rock Weekender in September, where the politician joined hundreds of other revelers in relaxing at the sacred Aboriginal site.
Local Aboriginal groups have expressed their disappointment with the festival organizers, saying that the cultural significance of Wave Rock wasn’t respected by many of the festival-goers.
“You had people taking drugs and drinking to excess,” said one ticket-holder.
“It’s a sacred site, and you have people banging keys of ket and whatever they sell as cocaine in Western Australia these days. Probably speed, meth, baby laxatives, and generic paracetamol. It wasn’t unlike any other festival. Young people taking time out of their busy lives to do drugs in a paddock. It’s nothing new,”
“But of all the paddocks in WA, why have it in this one? They could’ve just had it down in Gracetown. Would’ve been the same crowd and closer to home for many of them.”
Senator Hanson told The Advocate that she was simply exercising her right as an Australian by taking part in the festival.
“I have a right to express myself however I want,” she said.
“If it falls outside Section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act, I can say it with impunity. It’s called free speech. Yes, I did inhale when I was passed a key. Any red-blooded Australian would say yes. It’s just a bit of ket. I didn’t hole out; I didn’t even need to sit down. I just made me enjoy that God-awful music a little bit more,”
“If you ever find yourself being subjected to drum and bass music, make sure you have a few grams of ketamine within arm’s reach. But go easy on it. Finding yourself in a k-hole in the middle of a dance festival is worse than greening out at BluesFest when 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts is on stage and Rusty is really getting after it.”
The Advocate reached out to the organizers of the festival but has yet to receive a reply.
More to come.
