Pauline Hanson has refused to take responsibility for questioning whether the Port Arthur massacre was a government conspiracy because she made the comments in private. The One Nation leader said her heart went out to the victims but Al Jazeera was to blame for broadcasting hidden camera footage of her saying there was "a lot of questions" about the 1996 shootings. "My comments were made at a dinner table, never made publicly. This is not my doing to have exposed this," she told Nine's Today program in an interview broadcast on Friday. "It was Al Jazeera and an undercover agent. I'm sorry for these people. They shouldn't have to go through this again." Senator Hanson is now adamant Port Arthur was not a government conspiracy, arguing she was taken out of context with the documentary "heavily edited" and "dubbed". But Al Jazeera journalist Peter Charley said he would be delighted to release all the recordings, labelling suggestions the report has been dubbed as "preposterous". "I can assure you they were not heavily edited. What she said about Port Arthur, is what she said about Port Arthur - it's right there on tape," he told Seven's Sunrise. The second part of the Al Jazeera investigation was broadcast nationally on the ABC on Thursday night and was available online throughout the day. But Senator Hanson claims she hasn't watched it, despite arguing the footage was an elaborate stitch-up orchestrated by the Qatari network. One Nation's Queensland leader Steve Dickson and Senator Hanson's chief of staff James Ashby were caught meeting with powerful gun lobby groups and talking about getting millions in donations from them. In the footage, Mr Dickson and Mr Ashby spoke on multiple occasions about ways to water down Australia's gun laws, but Senator Hanson is sticking by two of her closest lieutenants. "Steve said some stupid things or inappropriate things, but I know Steve. Steve is a family man," she said. "He's a good man and Steve Dickson would never ever want to water down the gun laws in Australia, the same as I won't." The Queensland senator called Prime Minister Scott Morrison a "fool" for vowing to put One Nation below Labor on Liberal how-to-vote cards at the May election. Nationals leader Michael McCormack said he was comfortable with One Nation being above Labor on his party's how-to-vote cards. "I'm quite happy with the National Party members determining at a local level ... where they put their preferences," the deputy prime minister told reporters in Darwin. The Wagga Wagga based-MP plans to put the Greens last in his NSW seat of Riverina. Australian Associated Press
Pauline Hanson has staunchly defended herself and her colleagues over remarks in a documentary.
Pauline Hanson has refused to take responsibility for questioning whether the Port Arthur massacre was a government conspiracy because she made the comments in private.
The One Nation leader said her heart went out to the victims but Al Jazeera was to blame for broadcasting hidden camera footage of her saying there was "a lot of questions" about the 1996 shootings.
"My comments were made at a dinner table, never made publicly. This is not my doing to have exposed this," she told Nine's Today program in an interview broadcast on Friday.
"It was Al Jazeera and an undercover agent. I'm sorry for these people. They shouldn't have to go through this again."
Senator Hanson is now adamant Port Arthur was not a government conspiracy, arguing she was taken out of context with the documentary "heavily edited" and "dubbed".
But Al Jazeera journalist Peter Charley said he would be delighted to release all the recordings, labelling suggestions the report has been dubbed as "preposterous".
"I can assure you they were not heavily edited. What she said about Port Arthur, is what she said about Port Arthur - it's right there on tape," he told Seven's Sunrise.
The second part of the Al Jazeera investigation was broadcast nationally on the ABC on Thursday night and was available online throughout the day.
But Senator Hanson claims she hasn't watched it, despite arguing the footage was an elaborate stitch-up orchestrated by the Qatari network.
One Nation's Queensland leader Steve Dickson and Senator Hanson's chief of staff James Ashby were caught meeting with powerful gun lobby groups and talking about getting millions in donations from them.
In the footage, Mr Dickson and Mr Ashby spoke on multiple occasions about ways to water down Australia's gun laws, but Senator Hanson is sticking by two of her closest lieutenants.
"Steve said some stupid things or inappropriate things, but I know Steve. Steve is a family man," she said.
"He's a good man and Steve Dickson would never ever want to water down the gun laws in Australia, the same as I won't."
The Queensland senator called Prime Minister Scott Morrison a "fool" for vowing to put One Nation below Labor on Liberal how-to-vote cards at the May election.
Nationals leader Michael McCormack said he was comfortable with One Nation being above Labor on his party's how-to-vote cards.
"I'm quite happy with the National Party members determining at a local level ... where they put their preferences," the deputy prime minister told reporters in Darwin.
The Wagga Wagga based-MP plans to put the Greens last in his NSW seat of Riverina.
