<div><div class="yn-story-content">
                <p>SYDNEY (AFP) – Australian anti-immigration firebrand Pauline Hanson confirmed Wednesday she is attempting a political comeback by standing in a state election this month.</p>
                <p>
In a surprise move, Hanson -- who once famously warned that Australia was at risk of being "swamped by Asians" -- is running for an upper house seat with a group of independents in the New South Wales poll on March 26.</p>
                <p>
The former One Nation party chief told Fairfax Radio Network that it was "in the people's interest of New South Wales to ensure that I am on the floor", though she conceded that it would be a "battle" to get elected.</p>
                <p>
Hanson drew international condemnation but briefly won domestic support in the 1990s with her anti-immigration and trade protection policies, before losing her seat in 1998.</p>
                <p>
She spent several weeks in jail in 2003 for fraudulently spending electoral funds before the judgment was overturned.</p>
                <p>
She insisted on Wednesday that she was "not racist".</p>
                <p>
"No one can ever comment or make a comment on any racist statement I have ever said," she told the radio show.</p>
                <p>
"I have... as an Australian... a right to question immigration and multiculturalism, which I don't believe is helping our country."</p>
                <p>
Hanson said she believed in "people coming here, assimilating, becoming Australians" and abiding by Australian laws. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that," she said.</p>
                <p>
The 56-year-old said Australia's major political parties feared her because "they know I've always spoken out, I expose them for what they are".</p>
                <p>
In 2007, she ran unsuccessfully for a national Senate seat, calling for an end to immigration by Muslims to protect "Australian culture".</p>
                <p>
Two years later, Hanson blamed her failure in the Queensland state election on the publication of raunchy photos purportedly taken by an ex-boyfriend. The pictures turned out to be of another woman.</p>
                <p>
Hanson announced in November that she had decided to stay in Australia, abandoning plans to move to Britain because "it's overrun with immigrants and refugees". She also said France was also inundated with foreigners.</p>
                <p>
The former fish and chip shop owner had earlier said she was emigrating to Britain due to disillusionment with Australia's immigration and trade policies.</p>
                <p>
            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class="rssreadon" rel="external" title="Australian firebrand Hanson attempts comeback   (AFP)" href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/wl_asia_afp/australiapoliticshansonvote" target="_blank">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110309/wl_asia_afp/australiapoliticshansonvote</a></p>