Senator Brian Burston told SBS in an exclusive interview that he and One Nation are “not racist at all".
"I'm pro-Australian. If they want to describe that as being racist, so be it", the Senator said after his win was officially declared in Sydney on Friday.
"I have a Sri Lankan son-in-law and obviously two grandchildren that are part Sri Lankan, I have had Chinese doctors all through my adult life, as GPs, so if I was racist I’d be demanding I only deal with Australians."
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However, he described Australia’s Muslim community as being “an infringement on our culture”.
“At the moment [Muslims] are living in enclaves if you like, Lakemba for example [is] full of [the] Muslim community, they haven’t assimilated.
"Because we’re described as multicultural, those individual cultures, be it Muslim, that’s a religion but still a culture, be it Jewish, be it whatever, they’re living in areas together, rather than assimilating like Greeks and Italians have over the years - that’s what I mean by that infringement on our culture.”
In line with One Nation policy, he says he wants to see an inquiry into Islam.
"Is it a religion or a political ideology? I wouldn't suggest it is the latter.”
He says the scourge of the so-called Islamic State threatens Australia's future.
"I have a vested interest as most of the Australians do in protecting our future generations from these types of attacks, potential attacks in Australia."
Other issues on his agenda include budget repair, the wine equalisation tax (29 per cent of the wholesale value of wine), and a toxic leak from RAAF Base Williamtown that reached Salt Ash in the Hunter region.
Senator Burston began his political career in 1987 at Cessnock City Council in the Hunter region, where he worked on the council for over a decade.
He was then appointed as a parliamentary advisor and research officer at the NSW Parliament, a position he held for nearly three years.
In 2000, he was sacked from the One Nation executive by leader Pauline Hanson after a falling out with her and then party co-founder David Oldfield.
But the Senator told SBS he and Senator Hanson have since buried the hatchet.
"We've kissed and made up and we're the very best of friends, now."
