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Pauline Hanson prepared to strike over sugar

This is not a sweet outcome.

Senator Hanson has pledged to hold the government to ransom, not over her oft mentioned anti-Muslim policies, but over sugar.

The senator has said her party will refuse to support any legislation until a Queensland sugar dispute is resolved.

“I’ve made a stance that myself and One Nation senators will not be supporting any government legislation or any legislation before parliament until the Wilmar dispute is sorted between the cane growers and Wilmar,” Ms Hanson told reporters at Canberra airport on Sunday.

About 1500 farmers have been unable to crush their cane ahead of the 2017 season due to a foreign ownership dispute.

Senator Hanson is pushing for a mandatory code of conduct for the industry and wants the government to intervene.

However, Barnaby Joyce has already announced the government’s intention to sign a ntional code of conduct and commentators are suggesting Hanson is merely throwing her hat in the ring to claim credit.

Treasurer Scott Morrison has condemned her stance as the Turnbull government tries to get key legislation passed in parliament before a pre-budget break.

“I don’t think Australians expect their parliamentarians to go on strike. I think they expect them to turn up to work,” he said.

“I don’t think that is the mature way to deal with these things.”

Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce told those locked in the dispute to fix the problems to prevent the government’s “clumsy fingers” intervening.

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