Pauline Hanson has condemned Centrelink’s practice of paying multiple spouse benefits to Islamic families with two or three wives, describing it as using taxpayers’ money to condone polygamy and placate Muslims.
The One Nation leader renewed her call for a royal commission or Senate inquiry into “Islam and the impact on this country” following the revelation, and also for an Australian identity card to thwart welfare fraud, warning “if we keep appeasing these groups they will want more and more”.
“They will keep going on and abusing us, our generosity and our culture,” Senator Hanson told The Australian.
Her call came as Finance Minister Mathias Cormann struggled with the issue in a television interview, confirming Centrelink did pay spousal benefits to second and third female partners of Muslim men, but denying that represented government acceptance of polygamy.
Senator Hanson accused mainstream party leaders of dodging the issue, saying they were afraid to speak out for fear of losing votes from the Muslim community.
“They haven’t spoken about it because they are too gutless,” she said. “We have been taken for fools.
“Second marriages are not acknowledged in this country or their children, and they should not be funded at all,” the Queensland senator said. “It is against the law to have multiple marriages, but we are condoning it as taxpayers.”
In an interview yesterday with Sky News’ Sunday Agenda, Senator Cormann said “the proposition that somehow the government is authorising polygamy is just, that’s just completely ridiculous”.
He also denied that “we’re too worried for politically correctness reasons” to stamp out the Centrelink practice which, he said, was sensible from a fiscal point of view because spousal payments were lower than the alternative, single mothers payments.
“The question is, do you get the higher rate because you are single, or do you get the lower rate because you are part of a relationship?” Senator Cormann said.
The president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Keysar Trad, said “we oppose any misuse of Centrelink benefits”. His organisation would be happy to assist in any way to deal with any rorts.
“I know families that are polyamorous,” Mr Trad said, but added that he did not know of any which received multiple spousal benefits.
In the very few polygamous Muslim families he knew, Mr Trad said, “the parties are professionals, working, paying their taxes”.
“My view on the topic is that if somebody does choose this path, he must make sure he can support this lifestyle, he should not really be looking at the state,” Mr Trad said. Under Islam “the provider has to be able to pay for their wives, for their upkeep”.
Mr Trad said though Islam allows a man to have more than one wife, the application of that principle in Australia was nuanced: even polygamous marriages notionally granted by Muslim clerics would not have any status unless they were proclaimed. “Any marriage done in secret is not recognised,” he said.