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Pauline Hanson has posted a video on Facebook recording her first face-to-face meeting with Malcolm Turnbull since the election, telling supporters the prime minister was "very
gracious" and opened with congratulations on her election victory, "which I appreciated". The meeting, which was not telegraphed by the prime minister's office – unlike
some previous meetings with key crossbenchers since the election – took place in Sydney on Monday at Turnbull's behest, according to the One Nation leader. In her Facebook video, Hanson
said she "did most of the talking". In late May, Turnbull declared Hanson was not a welcome presence on the Australian political scene. "Remember she was chucked out of the
Liberal party," the prime minister said. Hanson says in her video she could have confronted Turnbull directly about the rebuff, but chose not to. "You're probably wondering,
did I say to him, 'you're the man who said I wasn't welcome there'. The answer is no," she said. The One Nation leader said the prime minister had appeared
"very interested in my opinion" and had offered her the services of his ministers in the new parliament. Hanson said she had raised issues relating to north Queensland during their
conversation, such as the motor sport precinct, dredging in the port of Cairns, her party's youth apprenticeship policy and her desire to make changes to the family court. "I feel
he's prepared to listen to me," she said. Hanson told supporters on Facebook she believed One Nation would have four senators in the 45th parliament once the election results were
finally declared. In the thread under the video an argument broke out among One Nation supporters about whether Hanson should be dealing constructively with the prime minister or not.
Hanson, or a Hanson operative, intervened in the thread to say: "Without a clear communication line between my office and the prime minister ... we achieve nothing. It's very
important that we work together to achieve what's best for this country. "I also mentioned to the prime minister that I will only back legislation that is good for the people. Help
me make sure that any legislation put before the Senate is right for the people. If it's not, we won't support it." The Coalition has also been attempting to walk a line
between validating Hanson's electoral mandate and rejecting her extreme views on race, immigration and Islam. On the weekend, the government's Senate leader, George Brandis, noted
half a million Australians voted for One Nation. "She's now a member of the Senate. The way to deal with these people is to explain why they are wrong," Brandis told the ABC.
"To pretend that Pauline Hanson is not part of the national conversation ... is ludicrous."