Cory Bernardi stands by bestiality claim ahead of SA election

One Nation's South Australian lead candidate Cory Bernardi says he "100 per cent" stands by highly-controversial comments he made almost 14 years ago linking gay marriage to the social acceptance of bestiality.

In an interview with ABC Stateline, Mr Bernardi said he also backed One Nation federal leader Pauline Hanson after she recently suggested that there are no "good" Muslims — comments for which she later partially apologised.

Endorsing Senator Hanson's comments, which sparked widespread outrage and were described by Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner as "Islamophobic" and "racist", Mr Bernardi claimed he did not want Australia to be changed into "some Middle Eastern kingdom or some backwater where they're still living in the sixth century".

Mr Bernardi will lead One Nation's Legislative Council ticket at the upcoming South Australian election off the back of recent polling predicting the minor party will eclipse the Liberals in primary voter support.

The conservative politician previously served as a Liberal Senator for 13 years, during which time he faced fierce backlash over comments he made linking gay marriage to bestiality and polygamy.

"The next step, quite frankly, is having three people or four people that love each other being able to enter into a permanent union endorsed by society — or any other type of relationship," he told the Senate in 2012, before same-sex marriage was legalised in Australia.

"There are even some creepy people out there … [who] say it is OK to have consensual sexual relations between humans and animals."

At the time, then-prime minister Tony Abbott described the remarks as "repugnant", former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull branded them "extreme" and "hysterical", while the Australian Marriage Equality advocacy group labelled them offensive.

Asked on Friday if he stood by his controversial remarks, Mr Bernardi said: "I stand by [them] 100 per cent".

"If you have a look at the redefinition of the Marriage Act, what's happened since then, we've gone down a complete spectrum, which was entirely denied would ever happen."

Mr Bernardi said he was "not fussed" if people found his comments offensive.

"I'm offended by people eating too much McDonalds, but that doesn't mean you should not deal with the fabric or the reality of what you're confronting," he said.

Islamic values 'incompatible' with Australian values, Bernardi says

Senator Hanson's comments on Sky News last month were rejected by politicians across the political spectrum, including Nationals senator Matt Canavan, who labelled them "divisive, inflammatory [and] un-Australian".

They were also condemned as hateful by Islamic groups, including the Australian National Imams Council, which described the comments as "divisive" and "ill-informed".

Senator Hanson later told the ABC that she did not believe there were no "good" Muslims and apologised if she "offended anyone out there that doesn't believe in sharia law, or multiple marriages, or wants to bring ISIS brides in, or people from Gaza that believe in a caliphate".

"But, in general, that's what they [Muslims] want — a world caliphate," she claimed.

Mr Bernardi said he "100 per cent" agreed with Senator Hanson's "sentiment" and later clarified that he did not believe there were no "good" Muslims.

"If you want to say someone is a good Muslim, then their values are incompatible with Australian values," he said.

"If you say that someone happens to be of the Muslim faith and heritage and they obey our laws and things, under Islam they are not good Muslims.

"It's about how you define it."

According to the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Muslims in Australia are required to adhere to Australian law.

One Nation 'entrenched in Australian vernacular'

One Nation is running candidates in all 47 lower house seats at the SA election on March 21.

A Newspoll published in The Australian found 24 per cent of voters surveyed intended to vote for the minor party, ahead of the Liberal Party on 14 per cent.

Meanwhile, a YouGov poll published in The Advertiser also puts One Nation in second place, with 22 per cent primary support.

Mr Bernardi said One Nation had become "entrenched in the Australian vernacular" and was challenging what he branded the "uni-party" comprised of Labor and the Liberals.

He said One Nation education policies included "empowering" parents to participate on school boards, school voucher systems, and removing the "black armband view of history that's being taught in schools".

Mr Bernardi also said the party wanted to "end" hospital ramping, give patients needing minor surgeries access to day clinics, increase mental health and aged care services, and boost the number of regional doctors.

"What we realise is that many baubles get dangled around election time and many of them are unfulfilled," he said.

"Our mission is to make sure that we can live within our means, that we can actually serve the people of South Australia and give them the voice, rather than just distract them with ongoing leadership tensions as the Liberal Party do, or a whole bunch of circuses which are very popular that cost taxpayers a lot of money."