One Nation pulled out all the stops over the last fortnight when it took dramatic steps to provide some hope to Australia’s struggling dairy farmers.

It began with a pledge from One Nation’s leader Senator Pauline Hanson that the party would withhold from voting on non-critical legislation until the Government committed to provide urgent support for the industry.

By the end of the week, the Government had agreed to fast-track the implementation of a Dairy Industry Code of Conduct by six months.

This was a good result for the industry, but it was only achieved after a week of prolonged pressure.

Before securing this concession from the Government One Nation also initiated a Senate Inquiry into how we can get dairy farmers paid a fair price for their milk. This inquiry was opposed by the Liberal and National party.

One Nation also forced multiple votes asking the Senate to provide urgent assistance to the industry that the Liberals and the Nationals defeated.

One Nation will attempt to pass the bill from the Senate to the lower house during the next parliamentary sitting. While this is not impossible without support from the Government, it is challenging.

Knowing this, Senator Hanson has written to every Nationals MP and Senator asking them to put aside their differences with One Nation and support her bill so that the dairy industry can be given a fighting chance.

While having the Government agree to fast track a Code of Conduct is an essential first step, the goal going forward is to provide long term security to the industry by restoring the protections that saw the dairy industry thrive before its deregulation in the early 2000s.

Senate estimates dominated the rest of last week. While there were many note worthing sessions where One Nation grilled department bureaucrats and Government ministers, one hearing was especially dramatic.

During his questioning, the Fair Work Commission Senator Roberts revealed what he believes are corrupt employment practices that have crippled casual coal miners in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales.

The accusations made headlines throughout the community soliciting denials of wrongdoing but also admissions that some of the treatment of coal miners was not appropriate.

If you want to see a masterclass in holding Government to account, then you have to watch this video.