Full Public Accountability Dossier · Updated June 2026

The
Hanson
Dossier

30 years. Every controversy. Every vote. Every broken promise. The complete public record.

30Years in Politics
53%Vote Attendance Rate
12%Estimates Attendance
$20MSought from US Gun Lobby
55-5Senate Censure Vote
0Times She Admitted Wrongdoing
00

What Is This Site?

A complete public accountability record — written in plain Australian English for every Australian.

Pauline Hanson has been in and out of Australian politics since 1996. She has built an entire career on the claim that she is a plain-speaking battler who fights for ordinary Australians against the elites and the political establishment. That claim does not match the record.

This site documents everything: her complete timeline of controversies from 1996 to today, her actual voting record in Parliament, how her policies compare to every other major party, who funds her and how much, how often she actually shows up for work, and what she has said on camera, in court, and on the Senate floor.

Nothing here is spin or personal opinion. Every claim is drawn from Federal Court judgments, Hansard parliamentary records, Australian Electoral Commission data, Parliamentary Library research, and verified journalism from the Guardian, Al Jazeera, the ABC, the Canberra Times, and peer-reviewed academic research. Sources are linked at the bottom of the page.

Australians deserve to know the full picture of the people who want to represent them. This is that picture.

Legal Notice

This site is political commentary based entirely on public record. All claims are sourced from Federal Court judgments, Hansard parliamentary records, AEC data, Parliamentary Library research, and published journalism.

Documenting the public record of an elected official is protected political speech in Australia. This site is not affiliated with any political party or organisation. No political donations fund this site. If you believe any claim is factually inaccurate, provide a verified source and it will be reviewed. Every claim on this page traces to an independently verifiable public record.

01

The Full Timeline

Every major incident from 1996 to today, in order. Filter by category.

1996
March 1996Significant
Kicked Out of the Liberal Party Before She Even Started
Hanson was preselected by the Liberal Party as their candidate for the Queensland seat of Oxley, then dumped in the weeks before the 1996 election after writing a letter opposing government welfare and support programs for Aboriginal Australians. She stayed on the ballot paper under the Liberal Party name, which voters did not know had withdrawn her endorsement. She won the seat and entered Parliament as a de facto independent. Not a single mainstream Australian political party has ever been willing to keep her.
RacismPreselection removed
September 1996Severe
Maiden Speech: "We Are in Danger of Being Swamped by Asians"
In her very first words to the Australian Parliament, Hanson declared the country was being "swamped by Asians" who "have their own culture and religion, form ghettos and do not assimilate." She attacked Aboriginal welfare programs and called for an end to multiculturalism. The speech was condemned internationally. Foreign governments formally protested. Parliaments around the world debated it. She denied being racist, a denial she has repeated hundreds of times since. This speech established the entire template for her career: find a group of people, label them a threat, and blame them for Australia's problems.
RacismAnti-Indigenous
1997
April 1997Severe
"The Truth" Book: Claims Aboriginal Women Ate Their Babies
A book published under Hanson's name and copyright, "Pauline Hanson: The Truth," claimed Aboriginal women ate their babies and that Aboriginal society was "savage." Hanson told the media the purpose was to "demonstrate the savagery of Aboriginal society." One Nation party director David Ettridge said the cannibalism claims were intended to correct "misconceptions" about Aboriginal history and were relevant to modern Aboriginal welfare funding. He said people could not "feel sympathy for people who eat their babies." In 2004, Hanson claimed she did not write the book despite owning its copyright and using it to raise funds for One Nation. Historians and anthropologists have comprehensively debunked the claims. No credible archaeological or oral historical evidence supports them. The book was used at the party launch to fundraise for One Nation.
RacismFalse claims
April 1997Significant
Founds One Nation: A Party Built on Fear of Outsiders
Hanson co-founded Pauline Hanson's One Nation with David Oldfield and David Ettridge. The launch in Dandenong, Victoria, one of Australia's most multicultural communities, was met with protests of up to 5,000 people. One Nation's platform was built on slashing immigration, opposing multiculturalism, and framing Asian and later Muslim Australians as threats to the country. The party drew enough votes away from the Coalition that the major parties quietly adopted parts of her agenda to win back those voters, meaning she shaped Australian immigration policy without ever being in government.
RacismParty founded
November 1997Notable
Records a "Voice From the Grave" Video in Case She Is Murdered
Hanson recorded a video to be released publicly in the event of her assassination. Staring into the camera she said: "Fellow Australians, if you are seeing me now it means that I have been murdered. Do not let my passing distract you even for a moment. For the sake of our children and our children's children, you must fight on." The video was later leaked to the press and was widely derided as a political stunt designed to position herself as a martyr. It is one of the most dramatic examples of her gift for self-promotion and political theatre.
Political theatre
1998
1998Notable
Sues a Satirist — and Contributes to Losing Her Own Seat
Satirist Simon Hunt created the character "Pauline Pantsdown" and recorded a song called "I Don't Like It" which reached the Australian Top 40. The song parodied Hanson's political positions using her own voice spliced together. Hanson sued to have it banned from radio. The lawsuit was widely condemned as an attempt to suppress political satire and free speech. Media coverage of the lawsuit was so negative that analysts later credited it as a contributing factor to Hanson losing her seat at the 1998 federal election. She spent party and personal resources trying to silence a comedian, and it helped end her time in the lower house.
Legal action against satireBackfired
1998Notable
Tony Abbott Sets Up a Secret Legal Fund to Destroy One Nation
Then Liberal MP Tony Abbott secretly established a trust fund called "Australians for Honest Politics Trust" to bankroll civil lawsuits against Hanson and One Nation. The suits alleged that the party was fraudulently registered and undemocratically constituted, concentrating all power in the hands of three people. These lawsuits eventually contributed to Hanson's 2003 fraud conviction and jail time. Abbott later confirmed his involvement. This is important context: her prosecution grew partly from a politically motivated Liberal Party campaign. Her conviction was later overturned on appeal on a legal technicality. This does not erase the other issues documented in this record, but it is part of the full picture.
LegalPolitical context
2003
August 2003Severe
Convicted of Electoral Fraud — Sent to Prison
The woman who built her brand on "keeping the bastards honest" was convicted of electoral fraud and sent to jail. She served 11 weeks in the Brisbane Women's Correctional Facility before her conviction was overturned on appeal. The appeal succeeded on a legal technicality, not a finding that she was innocent of the underlying conduct. As noted above, the prosecution was partly driven by a Liberal Party funded campaign, which is relevant context. However, the conviction itself stands as part of her public record. She appeared on Dancing with the Stars shortly after her release and staged a political comeback.
Criminal convictionJail time served
2006
2006Significant
"African Immigrants Are Bringing AIDS Into Australia"
Hanson publicly stated: "We're bringing in people from South Africa at the moment. There's a huge amount coming into Australia who have diseases; they've got AIDS. They are of no benefit to this country whatsoever; they'll never be able to work. And what my main concern is the diseases that they're bringing in and yet no one is saying or doing anything about it." She also claimed white South Africans were more rigorously health-checked than Black South Africans, with no evidence. The claims were false, racially discriminatory, and directly contradicted by public health data. She applied blanket disease assumptions to an entire racial group. She also backed Kevin Andrews's comments linking African migrants to crime.
RacismFalse health claims
2015
2015Significant
Halal Certification Funds Terrorism: A Claim With No Evidence
Hanson publicly claimed that Halal food certification in Australia was secretly funnelling money to terrorist organisations. The claim was false. Multiple independent investigations and fact-checks found zero evidence. The claim was designed to make Australian Muslims feel like suspects in their own country and to make ordinary supermarket products feel threatening. It spread widely across social media. Hanson never produced any supporting evidence. She has never withdrawn the claim.
IslamophobiaFalse claim, never withdrawn
2015Significant
Anti-Vaccine Comments: Links Vaccines to Autism and Cancer
On Sunrise, Hanson said she would "think twice" about vaccinating her own children again and called for more research into links between vaccination and autism and cancer. She said: "We haven't done the research enough, what is causing these kids to have autism, what is having all the cancer in our community, have we had enough answers into the cancer?" She revealed that one of her grandchildren had not been vaccinated. A comprehensive University of Sydney review published in 2014 found no link between vaccinations and autism or autism spectrum disorders. The claims have no basis in credible medical science. This came years before her COVID vaccine opposition and shows a long-standing pattern of anti-vaccination sentiment.
Medical misinformationPublic health risk
2016
September 2016Severe
Senate Return: "We Are in Danger of Being Swamped by Muslims"
Twenty years after her first "swamped by Asians" speech, Hanson returned to Parliament and delivered almost the exact same speech, this time targeting Muslims. She declared Australia was "in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own." She called for banning Muslim immigration, placing a moratorium on new mosques, and installing CCTV cameras inside every existing mosque in Australia. Following the Orlando nightclub shooting in the United States, she called for a complete ban on Muslim immigration to Australia. During this period it emerged she holds shares in BCB Coal, Webjet, and AMP, and owns multiple investment properties, while presenting herself as a battler for working people.
IslamophobiaMosque surveillance
2017
August 2017Significant
Burqa Stunt Number One: Even Her Own Side Called It "Appalling"
Hanson walked into the Senate chamber wearing a full burqa to push her campaign to ban the garment in public. Attorney-General George Brandis, a fellow conservative, delivered one of the most passionate speeches heard on the Senate floor in years. He said: "To ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments is an appalling thing to do and I would ask you to reflect on what you have done." Brandis noted he had worked closely with Australia's Muslim community on national security and called their cooperation essential. Labor and Greens senators gave Brandis a standing ovation. Every part of Parliament condemned her except her own party. Hanson showed no remorse.
IslamophobiaSenate stunt
August 2017Notable
Changed Party Constitution to Make Herself Leader for Life
Following the first wave of internal party departures, Hanson quietly changed the One Nation party constitution so that she is party president for as long as she wishes. Under the change, she also personally selects her own successor, who can then continue indefinitely. No member vote. No democratic process. The party that markets itself as returning power to ordinary Australians against the political establishment gave one person total, unremovable control over its entire structure. Three of the 11 One Nation MPs elected in Queensland in 1998 had already quit within a year, citing Hanson's too-tight control over the party.
Anti-democraticParty governance
November 2017Significant
Opposed Same-Sex Marriage and Claimed It Could Lead to Child Marriage
After 61.6% of Australians voted Yes in the marriage equality postal survey, Hanson voted No herself and declined to vote for the Marriage Amendment Bill when it passed Parliament. In the Senate she warned that legalising same-sex marriage could eventually lead Parliament to allow "marriages of people under a certain age." She also claimed marriage equality would mean children would be banned from calling their parents "mum and dad" so as not to offend children of same-sex couples. Both claims were false. She also described gay couples as trying to "take the word marriage" and said she opposed the bill going "beyond the mandate given by the Australian people," despite the 61.6% Yes vote.
LGBTQ+ oppositionFalse claims
2018
October 2018Severe
"It's OK to Be White": A White Supremacist Slogan Moved in the Australian Senate
Hanson moved a Senate motion using the phrase "It's OK to be white." This is a documented slogan from American white nationalist and white supremacist movements, traced directly to 4chan boards in 2017 and used as a coordinated recruitment tool by extremist organisations in the United States. It was designed to make extremist ideology sound like a reasonable statement. The motion initially passed when Coalition senators voted for it. They reversed their votes the following day, claiming administrative error. The motion only came to a vote because Hanson introduced it. She expressed zero regret. It was the second time she had successfully imported American far-right talking points into the Australian Senate, after previously adopting the anti-Halal conspiracy that originated in the US gun lobby ecosystem.
White nationalismSenate motion
2019
March 2019Severe
The NRA Sting: One Nation Caught Trying to Sell Australia's Gun Laws to American Lobbyists
Al Jazeera's three-year undercover investigation "How to Sell a Massacre" caught One Nation's chief of staff James Ashby and Queensland state leader Steve Dickson secretly meeting with the US National Rifle Association and Koch Industries in Washington. They discussed receiving up to $20 million in donations in return for softening Australia's gun laws, introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre killed 35 people. Dickson described the laws as "poison" and said he would "kill" them. Ashby said the money "guarantees you the balance of power, you'd have the whole government by the balls." In separate hidden camera footage, Hanson herself was recorded casting doubt on whether Port Arthur happened the way it was documented: "Those shots, they were precision shots. Check the number out... a lot of questions there." She later claimed she was taken out of context. The party dismissed the documentary as a "hit piece" and Hanson complained to ASIO about Al Jazeera.
Foreign interferencePotential misconductPort Arthur conspiracy
October 2019Significant
Climbed Uluru on National Television as a Political Stunt
As the permanent ban on climbing Uluru was about to take effect — a ban requested for decades by the Anangu people, for whom Uluru is their most sacred site — Hanson campaigned against it. The Nine Network flew her to Uluru and filmed her climbing it on A Current Affair just before the ban came into force. The Anangu Traditional Owners have asked visitors not to climb since 1985. Signs at the base had asked this for decades. Hanson climbed it anyway, on national television, with a broadcaster paying for her trip. She did not seek the permission or view of the Anangu people. She expressed no regret.
Anti-IndigenousDeliberate disrespect
2019Significant
AEC Forces One Nation to Repay $165,442 in Misused Public Funds
Following the 2019 federal election, the Australian Electoral Commission found One Nation had misspent public electoral funding. The party was required to repay $165,442, money that had not been spent for legitimate electoral purposes. Hanson personally agreed to an enforceable undertaking. This is taxpayer money, misappropriated by the party that markets itself as the guardian of taxpayer interests and fiscal responsibility.
AEC enforcementTaxpayer funds misused
2019 to 2021Significant
Ordered to Pay $250,000 After Defaming a Former Colleague on National TV
After One Nation senator Brian Burston quit the party in 2018 amid internal conflict, Hanson appeared on the Today show and made claims about him that the Federal Court found to be false and seriously defamatory. The court ordered her to pay Burston $250,000 in damages. The case also revealed that Hanson had sent a "malicious" text message to Burston's wife making false claims about him. The case exposed the toxicity of One Nation's internal culture and Hanson's willingness to weaponise false claims against people who crossed her.
Defamation loss$250,000 damages
2020
2020Significant
Used COVID to Run Anti-Chinese Campaigns as Hate Crimes Rose
Hanson used the COVID-19 pandemic to run anti-Chinese campaigns on social media at a time when anti-Asian hate crimes in Australia were rising sharply. Posts included "If it's made in China, leave it on the shelf," "Chinese vultures circle Virgin Airlines" and "The sneaky Chinese trick deceiving Aussie shoppers." She floated the unfounded conspiracy theory that COVID-19 was developed in a Chinese laboratory and suggested China had "unleashed" the coronavirus. She accused the United Nations and World Health Organisation of acting as a "propaganda arm of the Chinese Government." Peer-reviewed academic research published in journals including Journalism Practice documented how she used COVID to manufacture anti-Chinese sentiment to legitimise her longstanding immigration policies. Chinese and Asian Australians were being physically attacked in the streets during this period.
RacismCOVID misinformation
2020 to 2022Significant
Voted Against COVID Vaccine Rollout Urgency as Aged Care Residents Died
Hanson voted consistently against treating the COVID-19 vaccination rollout as a matter of urgency. One Nation campaigned against vaccine mandates throughout the pandemic, during which thousands of Australians died, particularly in aged care. Hanson argued against vaccine requirements for health workers and police, positions a Queensland Supreme Court later found were partly vindicated when it ruled specific mandates unlawful. Hanson used that ruling to claim vindication. However, she ignored the context: the rollout she opposed was designed to prevent deaths while vaccines were being developed. This stance combined with her 2015 autism and cancer comments shows a long-standing pattern of promoting vaccine hesitancy.
Public healthAnti-vaccine pattern
July 2020Significant
"Drug Addicts Who Cannot Speak English": Removed From the Today Show
During Melbourne's COVID lockdowns, public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne were placed in hard lockdown. Many residents were elderly migrants who had lived in Australia for decades. Some had come as refugees. Hanson went on television and described them as "drug addicts who couldn't speak English." The Nine Network removed her as a regular contributor to the Today show immediately after the comments. She never apologised to the thousands of people she publicly insulted. It was the same network that had paid for her Uluru trip a year earlier.
RacismRemoved from TV
2021
June 2021Notable
Moves Senate Motion to Reject Critical Race Theory From Schools
Hanson introduced a motion in the Australian Senate calling on the federal government to reject critical race theory from the national curriculum. The motion passed 30 votes to 28, with Coalition senators backing it. Critical race theory was not actually in the Australian national curriculum, making the motion a piece of culture war theatre imported directly from the United States Republican right. The Senate has no power over the national curriculum anyway — that is developed by ACARA, an independent statutory body. On social media, Hanson claimed CRT was responsible for children being "publicly humiliated for being white oppressors." More than 500 academics and educators signed an open letter condemning the motion as an attack on anti-racism education.
Anti-anti-racismCulture war stunt
2022
September 2022Severe
"Pack Your Bags and Piss Off Back to Pakistan": Tells a Fellow Senator She Does Not Belong in Australia
When Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi posted a tweet about Queen Elizabeth's death and colonial history, Hanson replied publicly: "Your attitude appals and disgusts me. When you immigrated to Australia you took every advantage of this country. You took citizenship, bought multiple homes, and a job in a parliament. It's clear you're not happy, so pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan." Senator Faruqi is Australia's first Muslim woman elected to federal Parliament. She is a naturalised Australian citizen who had lived in Australia for decades and was democratically elected to serve as a senator. Hanson told a sitting Australian senator, who had taken an oath to serve this country, that she did not belong here.
RacismRacial Discrimination Act breach
2023
March 2023Notable
Attends "Let Women Speak" Rally Alongside an Activist Whose Events Attracted Neo-Nazis
Hanson and fellow One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts attended a "Let Women Speak" rally outside Parliament House in Canberra organised by British anti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker. They were photographed alongside Keen-Minshull. Just days earlier, at her Melbourne event, around 30 members of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network had shown up, dressed in black, wearing masks, carrying offensive banners, and performing Nazi salutes. Keen-Minshull's Australian tour drew protests at every stop and she was mobbed and had tomato juice thrown at her in New Zealand, ultimately abandoning her events. Hanson chose to publicly associate with and lend political legitimacy to this figure.
Far-right associationsAnti-trans
October 2023Notable
Leads the No Campaign Against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament
Hanson and One Nation campaigned strongly against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum. She described the Voice as divisive, as creating "two classes of Australians," and as a form of racism. She called for no formal constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians. Her opposition to any form of Indigenous recognition in the Constitution extends back to her 1996 maiden speech attacks on Aboriginal welfare programs, the 1997 book claiming Aboriginal cannibalism, and her voting record opposing Indigenous funding programs. The referendum failed with approximately 60% voting No nationally.
Anti-IndigenousVoice referendum No
2024
May 2024Notable
Nakba Day Scarf Stunt: Wore Israeli Flag into a Gaza Debate
On 15 May 2024, Nakba Day, the day Palestinians mark the 1948 mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, Hanson walked into the Senate wearing a scarf decorated with the Israeli flag while senators were debating a motion to formally acknowledge the Nakba. She was ordered to remove the scarf before speaking. She later stated she does not believe there is a genocide in Gaza, a position that contradicts findings from the International Court of Justice, the United Nations, and numerous human rights organisations. Hanson has described pro-Palestinian protests in Australia as "disgusting" and "un-Australian."
Senate stuntContradicts ICJ findings
November 2024Severe
Federal Court Rules Hanson's Tweet Was Racist and Unlawful
The Federal Court of Australia ruled that Hanson's "piss off back to Pakistan" tweet breached Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. Justice Angus Stewart found the tweet was "racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim" and "targets immigrants as being second-class Australians." The court found Hanson had "a tendency to make racist, discriminatory, hateful, derogatory and Islamophobic statements, particularly in relation to persons of colour, migrants to Australia and Muslims." The court also found she was a witness who "would say anything which came to mind if she felt it would suit her at the time." She was ordered to delete the tweet and pay Senator Faruqi's full legal costs. She announced she would appeal. As of publication, the appeal is ongoing.
Racism confirmed by courtFederal Court ruling
2025
November 2025Severe
Burqa Stunt Number Two: Senate Suspended for 90 Minutes, Censured 55 to 5
After her bill to ban the burqa in public spaces failed in the Senate, Hanson walked back into the chamber wearing a full burqa for the second time in less than a decade. The entire Senate was suspended for 90 minutes. Senator Fatima Payman, a Muslim senator from Western Australia, shouted from across the chamber. The following day, 55 senators voted to formally censure Hanson and suspend her for seven sitting days. Only five senators did not vote to censure her. The motion found her actions were "intended to vilify and mock people on the basis of their religion" and were "disrespectful to Muslim Australians." Senators from Labor, the Liberals, the Nationals, the Greens, and independents all voted against her. Hanson said she had no regrets.
IslamophobiaSenate suspendedFormally censured
Late 2025Severe
Undisclosed Private Jet Flights from Rinehart: Senate Rules Breach
Gina Rinehart provided her private jet to Hanson for a trip to the United States to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference and events at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Hanson also stayed at Rinehart's Palm Beach, Florida residence. Rinehart also lent Hanson the private jet of her company S. Kidman and Co for domestic travel alongside One Nation senator Sean Bell. Hanson failed to declare these flights within the mandatory 35-day Senate window, violating Senate rules requiring declaration of gifts above $300 in value within 35 days. The flights were only declared after The Guardian contacted Hanson's office seeking comment. In January 2025, Hanson and Rinehart were photographed together on holiday in Thailand.
Undisclosed giftsSenate rules breach
2026
January 2026Severe
Taxpayer Money Used to Attend Rinehart's Luxury Cruise Ship Fundraisers
The Guardian revealed that Hanson and Barnaby Joyce billed taxpayers more than $3,000 to attend multiple fundraising and donor events aboard The World, a luxury cruise ship on which Rinehart owns an exclusive multimillion-dollar penthouse apartment. Parliamentary rules explicitly state MPs cannot claim taxpayer-funded expenses for fundraising events or for soliciting donations. At one event Rinehart auctioned a dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, raising $300,000 for One Nation. Hanson also hosted a private business lunch on the same ship with her daughter Lee, described as a meeting with "business leaders and industry figures to discuss key state issues."
Taxpayer fundsPotential rules breach
April 2026Severe
Rinehart Gifts Hanson a $2 Million Private Plane
In April 2026, Gina Rinehart gifted Hanson a Cirrus G7 aircraft worth approximately $2 million to support One Nation's electoral campaigning. The gift came from Australia's wealthiest person, with a net worth estimated in the tens of billions, to the leader of a party that was literally founded on anti-establishment, anti-elite rhetoric. The party that spent 30 years claiming to fight for ordinary Australians against powerful interests now operates with a $2 million plane from the richest person in the country. After Barnaby Joyce joined One Nation in December 2025, he confirmed that Rinehart had been funding the party and bringing other former Liberal donors with her.
$2M gift from billionaireAnti-elite branding contradicted
June 2026 — National Press ClubSignificant
First Press Club Speech in 30 Years: Climate "Hoax," Trump "No Mistakes," Daughter Questioned, Guardian Banned
Thirty years into her political career, Hanson finally delivered her first National Press Club address. She called climate change a "hoax." She called for a ban on wind farm energy. She incorrectly claimed the Clean Energy Finance Corporation had received $200 billion in taxpayer funding, a figure that is not accurate. She claimed her nuclear energy policy would deliver power at the "world's cheapest price," which directly contradicts CSIRO modelling on comparative energy costs. When asked if Trump had made any mistakes as president, she answered: "No." She announced she supported helping Trump in the Iran war. When Guardian journalist Sarah Martin asked about her daughter Lee Hanson being paid over $150,000 per year in a taxpayer-funded adviser role while appearing to campaign full-time in Tasmania, Hanson called Martin "the most trashy journalist" she had seen, announced she was banned from future interviews, and subsequently banned all Guardian journalists from One Nation events. She described transgender Australians as an "insurgency" and pledged to sack officials who held pro-trans positions.
Climate misinformationNepotism allegationsPress freedom attack
2026Significant
Daughter's $150,000+ Taxpayer-Funded Job: Nepotism Allegations
Hanson's daughter, Lee Hanson, is employed as a senior political adviser to One Nation's NSW senator Sean Bell, receiving over $150,000 per year in taxpayer-funded salary. Guardian reporting found that Lee Hanson appeared to be campaigning full-time in Tasmania rather than performing the NSW advisory duties she was employed and paid for. When asked at the Press Club whether she had any role in her daughter's appointment, Hanson denied nepotism and said her daughter was employed "on her own merits." The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority has previously warned that family hires create public trust risks, even where they are not explicitly prohibited by current rules.
Nepotism allegationsTaxpayer-funded
02

The Senator Who Was Not There

Hanson is paid to represent Queenslanders. The data says she is absent for most of it.

12% Senate Estimates Attendance

Parliamentary Library research found Hanson attended just 12 per cent of Senate estimates hearing days across her first decade as a senator. That is 28 days out of 239 scheduled days. Senate estimates is the primary mechanism in the Australian Parliament for senators to grill ministers and public servants about exactly how taxpayer money is spent and how government programs are running. She skipped 88 per cent of it. She was still paid her full salary throughout.

Senate Attendance — How Hanson Compares
David Pocock
95%
Penny Wong
91%
Senate Average
87%
Malcolm Roberts
72%
Pauline Hanson — Votes
53%
Estimates — Average
78%
Pauline Hanson — Estimates
12%
"Missing in action for 88 per cent of those hearings." That is a direct quote from Liberal Senator James Paterson, not from Labor or the Greens. He added: "Senate estimates is the place where you can do some of your best work. For her to not bother showing up while still taking a salary reflects very badly on her and her commitment to her job."
"She was having birthday cake with a billionaire." Senator Andrew Hastie noted that during one specific week of missed hearings, Hanson was photographed having cake with Gina Rinehart in Brisbane. He said: "She's now talking about being prime minister. For that, you need drive, commitment and energy, and I think the attendance record shows otherwise."
100% party-line voting, zero independent votes. Despite branding herself as an independent voice for battlers who cuts through political games, Hanson has voted with One Nation's party position 100 per cent of the time. She has never once broken ranks on any bill in any Parliament. There is no independence. There is only the party line.
Took a $100,000 pay rise while opposing worker pay rises. A GetUp protest banner displayed at her 2026 National Press Club address accused her of "opposing a pay rise for workers while taking a $100,000 pay rise for myself." Her Senate voting record on wage increases confirms the accusation. She opposed worker pay rises and accepted her own.
03

What She Actually Wants

Her positions on 12 policy areas — what she says, what she votes for, and what the evidence shows would happen.

Climate Change
Hanson's position: Called climate change a "hoax" at her 2026 Press Club address. One Nation's official policy states there is "insufficient evidence" of global warming and that international bodies like the IPCC are untrustworthy. They are the only political party in Australia to formally deny the scientific consensus. Votes almost always against Paris Agreement commitments and renewable energy investment. Called for a ban on wind farm energy. Claims nuclear power will be the "world's cheapest" energy source, which directly contradicts CSIRO modelling.
vs the rest of Parliament
Every other major Australian party accepts the scientific consensus. Labor, the Liberals, the Nationals, and the Greens all remain in the Paris Agreement. Even the Coalition, which has internal divisions, supports net zero by 2050. The CSIRO, Australia's peak national science body, directly contradicts Hanson's nuclear cost claims. One Nation's position is held by no credible scientific institution anywhere in the world.
Gun Laws
Hanson's position: Wants to weaken the National Firearms Agreement, introduced after Port Arthur killed 35 Australians in 1996 and internationally praised as one of the most effective gun policy interventions in democratic history. Senior One Nation figures were caught on hidden camera seeking $20 million from the US NRA to fund a campaign to soften these laws. Hanson's chief of staff called the laws "poison." Hanson herself was filmed casting doubt on the official account of the Port Arthur massacre. After the 2025 Bondi Beach attack, Hanson opposed new gun restrictions.
vs the rest of Parliament
Every other major Australian party supports the NFA. The Coalition was the government that introduced it. Australia has had no mass public shootings since Port Arthur. One Nation is the only party attempting to weaken these laws, and was caught seeking foreign funding to do so.
Abortion Rights
Hanson's position: One Nation's official policy states that life begins at conception and commits to rolling back abortion decriminalisation laws passed across every Australian state and territory. One Nation MPs have sponsored legislation in Parliament to recriminalise abortion for some women. Hanson has appeared on podcasts with anti-abortion activists and supported restricting access to abortion services.
vs the rest of Parliament
Labor and the Greens support reproductive rights. The Liberals have not moved federally to recriminalise abortion. Abortion has been decriminalised in every Australian state and territory through state law reforms over the past 15 years. One Nation's position would remove legal protections that women have held across Australia.
ABC and SBS
Hanson's position: Would shut down SBS completely. Would convert the ABC to a subscription-only model with public funding only for remote and regional areas. Has banned ABC journalists from attending One Nation events. Has now also banned Guardian journalists after being asked about her daughter's taxpayer-funded job. Votes consistently to decrease ABC and SBS funding. Claims ABC has an "obvious bias" against One Nation.
vs the rest of Parliament
Labor funds both and supports editorial independence. The Greens want increased funding. Even the Liberals, who have historically cut the ABC, have never moved to close SBS. SBS provides news in over 60 languages and was created specifically to serve migrant communities who otherwise have no access to news in their language.
Immigration and Multiculturalism
Hanson's position: Wants to cap permanent immigration at 130,000 per year and deport 75,000 people she calls "illegal" immigrants, including visa overstayers. Has called for banning Muslim immigration entirely. At her 2026 Press Club address declared "Australia cannot be a multicultural society." Wants to abolish the National Indigenous Australians Agency, saving $4.5 billion that currently funds Indigenous programs. Has campaigned against multiculturalism consistently for 30 years.
vs the rest of Parliament
No other major party supports banning immigration by religion, which would violate the Refugee Convention and international law. All major parties formally support Australian multiculturalism. Over 30 per cent of Australians were born overseas. Hanson's proposed deportations would require mass enforcement operations with no legal precedent in Australia.
Housing Affordability
Hanson's position: Voted almost always against policies to increase housing affordability, including Labor's Help to Buy shared equity scheme. Voted against federal investment in public housing. Opposed legislation to prevent price-gouging (September 2024). Voted against renters' rights protections. Her primary stated solution to the housing crisis is cutting immigration, a position not supported by housing economists who identify interest rates, planning laws, and tax concessions as the main drivers.
vs the rest of Parliament
Labor's Help to Buy scheme gives first home buyers shared equity support. The Greens want rent caps and a national social housing fund. Even the Liberals support some housing measures. Hanson holds investment properties herself and votes against the policies that would help first home buyers and renters.
Workers and Wages
Hanson's position: Voted against wage increases for workers. Voted to decrease welfare availability. Opposed childcare funding increases. Voted with the Coalition on welfare cuts in 2016. Accepted a personal parliamentary pay rise of approximately $100,000 while voting against ordinary worker pay rises. GetUp's protest banner at her 2026 Press Club address highlighted this directly. Claims to be a champion of battlers.
vs the rest of Parliament
Labor has delivered multiple above-inflation minimum wage increases. The Greens push for higher wages. Even the Liberals support the Fair Work Commission process. Hanson's voting record on worker pay is the clearest example of the gap between her public persona and her actual Senate record.
Education and Childcare
Hanson's position: Voted almost always against increasing funding for public schools. Voted consistently against childcare subsidies. Called student debt relief "ridiculous." Opposes fee-free TAFE. Has voted against early childhood education bills. Wants to abolish multiple government agencies that fund Indigenous education programs, which she says would save $4.5 billion.
vs the rest of Parliament
Labor's fee-free TAFE, expanded childcare subsidies, and student debt reduction are all programs Hanson opposes. The Greens want free education at every level. Hanson's own voting base, working-class Australians in regional areas, would benefit most from the education programs she consistently votes against in the Senate.
Energy
Hanson's position: Votes almost always against renewable energy investment. Wants to ban wind farm construction. Wants to extend the life of coal power stations. Supports nuclear power despite CSIRO modelling showing it would be significantly more expensive than renewables. Votes consistently against the Safeguard Mechanism and every major clean energy policy. One Nation supports expanding coal and gas extraction.
vs the rest of Parliament
Labor has a target of 82 per cent renewables by 2030. The Greens want 100 per cent renewables. The Liberals support renewables alongside nuclear. Every major party accepts coal is a sunset industry. Hanson's energy policy would lock Australians into higher power bills and delay the economic benefits of the global clean energy transition.
Indigenous Affairs
Hanson's position: Opposed the Voice to Parliament. Wants to abolish the National Indigenous Australians Agency. Has consistently opposed land rights, reconciliation, and Indigenous-specific welfare and education funding since her 1996 maiden speech. Published a book under her name claiming Aboriginal women ate their babies to "demonstrate the savagery of Aboriginal society." Climbed Uluru on television as a political stunt as the permanent ban was taking effect.
vs the rest of Parliament
Labor, the Greens, and many Coalition members supported the Voice to Parliament. All major parties support the existence of the National Indigenous Australians Agency. All major parties accept the documented history of colonisation and its ongoing effects on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Hanson's record on Indigenous affairs is the longest-running element of her political career.
COVID and Vaccines
Hanson's position: Said she would "think twice" about vaccinating her children in 2015, citing links to autism and cancer with no scientific basis. Voted consistently against treating the COVID-19 vaccination rollout as a matter of urgency during a pandemic that killed thousands of Australians. One Nation campaigned against vaccine mandates for health workers and aged care staff. Floated the unproven claim that COVID-19 was engineered in a Chinese laboratory. Used the pandemic to run anti-Chinese campaigns on social media as hate crimes against Asian Australians rose.
vs the rest of Parliament
Labor, the Liberals, and the Greens all supported the vaccine rollout as a public health priority. The Australian Medical Association and every state and territory health authority supported the rollout. Hanson's anti-vaccine positions span more than a decade and have been comprehensively rejected by Australian medical science.
International Institutions
Hanson's position: Announced in March 2025 that One Nation wants Australia to leave the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the World Economic Forum. Wants to withdraw from international climate agreements. Called for Australia to join Trump's military action in Iran. When asked if Trump had made any mistakes as president, said "No." Accused the UN and WHO of being "propaganda arms of the Chinese Government." Wants Australian foreign policy fully aligned with the Trump administration.
vs the rest of Parliament
Every other Australian party supports membership of the United Nations. Australia's trade agreements, AUKUS security alliance, and diplomatic relationships all depend on international institutions. Withdrawing from the UN and WHO would leave Australia without mechanisms for cooperation during pandemics, conflicts, and climate disasters.
04

Hanson vs. Every Other Party

How One Nation stands on 13 major issues compared to Labor, the Coalition, and the Greens.

On almost every issue affecting ordinary Australians, Hanson's position is the isolated outlier. The parties disagree with each other on plenty — but they almost universally agree that Hanson's positions are wrong.

Slide left and right to see the full table
Issue One Nation (Hanson) Labor Coalition Greens
Climate Science
Calls it a "hoax." Denies scientific consensus.
Accepts. Net zero by 2050.
Accepts. Net zero by 2050.
Accepts. Wants faster action.
Gun Laws (NFA)
Wants to weaken them. Sought $20M from NRA.
Supports. Opposes weakening.
Supports. Coalition introduced them.
Supports. Wants tighter controls.
Worker Pay Rises
Voted against. Took $100k rise herself.
Delivered above-inflation rises.
Supports Fair Work process.
Wants higher minimum wages.
ABC and SBS
Shut down SBS. ABC to subscription only.
Funds both. Supports independence.
Cut ABC but never closed SBS.
Wants increased funding.
Renewable Energy
Wants to ban wind farms. Against investment.
82% target by 2030.
Supports some renewables plus nuclear.
100% renewables as fast as possible.
Housing Affordability
Voted against affordability measures. Blames migrants.
Help to Buy scheme, social housing.
Some supply-side policies.
Rent caps, social housing fund.
Childcare
Voted consistently against subsidies.
Expanded childcare subsidies.
Supports some subsidy.
Universal free childcare.
Public School Funding
Voted almost always against increases.
Gonski needs-based funding.
Favours private schools. Some public.
Strong public school funding.
Abortion Rights
Wants to recriminalise abortion.
Supports reproductive rights.
Divided. No federal move to ban.
Strongly supports reproductive rights.
UN Membership
Wants to leave the UN, WHO, and WEF.
Strong multilateral commitment.
Supports UN and alliances.
Supports international institutions.
Multiculturalism
"Australia cannot be a multicultural society."
Core of government policy.
Formally supports multicultural Australia.
Strong supporter.
Trans Healthcare
Voted against trans youth care. Calls it an "insurgency."
Supports gender-affirming care.
Divided. Some members favour restrictions.
Strongly supports trans rights.
Press Freedom
Banned ABC and Guardian journalists from events.
Supports press access.
Supports press access.
Strong press freedom supporter.
05

The Money Trail

Who funds One Nation, what they received for it, and what it has cost Australian taxpayers.

$20 Million
Sought from the US Gun Lobby

Amount One Nation's senior officials discussed accepting from the NRA and Koch Industries in exchange for softening Australia's gun laws. Caught on hidden camera by Al Jazeera over a three-year investigation. No confirmed transfer was made, but the intent is documented on film.

$2 Million
Private Plane Gifted by Rinehart

In April 2026, Gina Rinehart gifted Hanson a Cirrus G7 aircraft worth approximately $2 million for One Nation electoral campaigning. A party founded on anti-elite rhetoric now flies on a billionaire's gift.

$300,000
Raised at Rinehart's Cruise Ship Event

Amount raised at a Rinehart-hosted One Nation fundraiser aboard The World luxury cruise ship. Rinehart auctioned a dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Both Hanson and Joyce billed taxpayers over $3,000 to attend.

$250,000
Defamation Damages Ordered Against Her

Amount the Federal Court ordered Hanson to pay former One Nation senator Brian Burston after finding she made false and seriously defamatory claims about him on national television in 2019.

$165,442
Public Funds Repaid to AEC

Amount One Nation was required to repay to the Australian Electoral Commission after misusing public electoral funding following the 2019 election. Hanson signed an enforceable undertaking in connection with the repayment.

$150,000+
Daughter's Annual Taxpayer-Funded Salary

Annual salary paid to Hanson's daughter Lee as a political adviser to One Nation's NSW senator, while reportedly working in Tasmania. Hanson banned the journalist who asked about it from all future interviews and Guardian journalists from One Nation events.

The Rinehart Connection: A Full Timeline
2019 to 2024

Rinehart makes multiple large donations to One Nation, declared to the AEC as required. The relationship between Australia's richest person and a party claiming to fight for battlers against the wealthy elite begins attracting scrutiny from journalists and political analysts.

Jan 2025

Hanson and Rinehart photographed on holiday in Thailand together, underscoring the personal nature of their relationship beyond politics.

Late 2025

Rinehart provides her private jet for Hanson's US trip to attend CPAC and events at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Hanson also stays at Rinehart's Palm Beach, Florida residence. Flights are not declared within the mandatory 35-day Senate window. They are only declared after The Guardian contacts Hanson's office. Senate rules require declaration of gifts above $300 within 35 days of receipt.

October 2025

Hanson takes two taxpayer-funded trips to attend functions connected with Rinehart, including One Nation fundraisers and branch openings, costing taxpayers $13,000 according to The Guardian.

December 2025

Rinehart hosts One Nation fundraising events aboard The World while docked in Brisbane and Sydney. A dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago is auctioned for $300,000. Both Hanson and Joyce attend. Both bill taxpayers over $3,000 to cover travel. Parliamentary rules explicitly prohibit claiming expenses for fundraising events.

Jan 2026

Hanson and her daughter Lee host a private business lunch aboard The World while the ship is docked in Hobart, with "business leaders and industry figures." Hanson does not declare travel costs for this event.

April 2026

Rinehart gifts Hanson a Cirrus G7 aircraft worth approximately $2 million for One Nation campaigning. After Barnaby Joyce joined One Nation in December 2025, he confirmed that Rinehart had been funding the party and bringing former Liberal donors across with her. The party of battlers is now flying on a billionaire's $2 million gift.

06

Internal Party Chaos

Seven senators have quit or been expelled from One Nation since 2016. The party Hanson runs like a private fiefdom cannot hold itself together.

December 2016
Rod Culleton (WA) Quits Within Months of Election

The first One Nation senator elected in the 2016 sweep quit within months due to ongoing legal troubles and internal party conflict. He had been elected in July 2016 and was gone by December. He was later found to have been ineligible to stand due to legal proceedings against him. It set the tone for everything that followed in the party's second era.

2018
Brian Burston (NSW) Quits, Hanson Defames Him on TV

Burston left One Nation for the United Australia Party after disagreements over Malcolm Turnbull's tax cut policy. Hanson subsequently made defamatory claims about him on the Today show, sending a "malicious" text to his wife making false claims. The Federal Court ordered Hanson to pay Burston $250,000 in damages. The entire episode revealed the toxicity of the party's internal culture.

2019
Steve Dickson Resigns After NRA Scandal

Queensland One Nation leader Steve Dickson resigned from the party and from Senate candidacy after appearing in the Al Jazeera sting footage, where he discussed receiving NRA money to weaken Australia's gun laws. Video from a Washington strip club he had visited during the NRA meetings was also published. He left politics entirely.

2023 to 2024
Mark Latham and Rod Roberts (NSW) Both Walk Out

NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham posted a homophobic tweet targeting openly gay politician Alex Greenwich. Hanson publicly called on him to apologise. He refused. Hanson then intervened to remove him as NSW party leader. Latham and fellow senator Rod Roberts both resigned to sit as independents. Hanson appointed Tania Mihailuk as the new NSW leader. Mihailuk also resigned from One Nation by December 2024.

2024
Stephen Andrew (QLD) Resigns After Being Dumped as a Candidate

Queensland state MP Stephen Andrew resigned from One Nation in August 2024 after the party refused to re-endorse him as a candidate at the 2024 Queensland state election. His departure highlighted the absolute control Hanson exercises over candidate selection, which she changed the party constitution to entrench in 2017.

2024 to 2025
Ben Dawkins (WA) Joins and Quits Within Months

Western Australian independent MP Ben Dawkins announced he would join One Nation as the party's only WA lower house member in February 2024. He resigned from the party by December 2024. He was in and out in under a year.

May 2025
Sarah Game and Jennifer Game Both Walk Out of the SA Branch

South Australian MLC Sarah Game quit the party citing brand damage from its controversies. Her mother Jennifer Game, the previous SA state leader, had already resigned after being passed over for the top spot on the SA upper house ticket for the 2026 election. Two members of the same family walked out within months of each other.

2017 — The Rule That Started It All
Constitution Changed: Hanson Is Leader for Life, Picks Her Own Successor

In August 2017, after the first wave of departures, Hanson changed the One Nation party constitution so that she is president for as long as she chooses and gets to personally select her own successor, who can continue indefinitely. No member vote. No democratic process. The party that markets itself as giving power back to ordinary Australians gave one person total permanent control. Critics have long described it as a private fiefdom. The seven departures since 2016 validate that description.

07

In Her Own Words

What she actually said — on camera, in court, on the Senate floor, and on social media. Every quote is sourced.

"

We are in danger of being swamped by Asians. They have their own culture and religion, form ghettos and do not assimilate.

Maiden speech to Parliament, September 1996. Her first words to the nation as an elected representative. Foreign governments formally protested. Condemned internationally.
"

We are in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own.

Senate maiden speech, September 2016. The same speech, 20 years later. Different group, identical playbook.
"

Islam is a disease. We need to vaccinate ourselves against that.

Widely reported and documented quote, multiple occasions. Framing the faith of 500,000 Australian citizens as a contagious illness to be prevented.
"

We're bringing in people from South Africa at the moment. There's a huge amount coming into Australia who have diseases; they've got AIDS. They are of no benefit to this country whatsoever.

Publicly stated, 2006. Applying blanket disease assumptions to South African immigrants based on their race. The claim was false and contradicted by public health data.
"

Fellow Australians, if you are seeing me now it means that I have been murdered. Do not let my passing distract you even for a moment.

"Voice from the grave" video, November 1997. Recorded to be released publicly in the event of her assassination. Widely described as a political stunt when leaked.
"

I'd think twice about vaccinating my children these days. We haven't done the research enough, what is causing these kids to have autism, what is having all the cancer in our community.

Sunrise television interview, 2015. No credible scientific evidence links vaccination to autism or cancer. A University of Sydney review in 2014 found no such link.
"

Those shots, they were precision shots. Check the number out... a lot of questions there.

Hidden camera footage, Al Jazeera, 2019. Casting doubt on the official account of the Port Arthur massacre, which killed 35 Australians. She later claimed she was taken out of context.
"

Pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan.

Public tweet directed at Senator Mehreen Faruqi, September 2022. Later found unlawful by the Federal Court under the Racial Discrimination Act. Hanson was ordered to delete it and pay full legal costs.
"

If they don't want me wearing it, ban the burqa.

Facebook statement after her 2025 Senate burqa stunt. Posted after 55 senators voted to censure and suspend her. She expressed no regret.
"

Has Trump made any mistakes? No.

Response to a journalist at the 2026 National Press Club. Hanson's assessment of a president who has faced two impeachments, a civil liability finding for sexual abuse, and multiple contested foreign policy decisions.
"

Honestly, you never give up. I've never seen a person that's such a trashy journalist.

Directed at Guardian journalist Sarah Martin at the 2026 National Press Club, after Martin asked about Hanson's daughter receiving a taxpayer-funded job paying over $150,000 per year. Hanson subsequently banned Guardian journalists from all One Nation events.
Federal Court Finding — Not a Quote From Hanson

Senator Hanson had a tendency to make racist, discriminatory, hateful, derogatory and Islamophobic statements, particularly in relation to persons of colour, migrants to Australia and Muslims. She was found to be an argumentative witness who would say anything which came to mind if she felt it would suit her at the time.

Justice Angus Stewart, Federal Court of Australia — Faruqi v Hanson, November 2024. This is a formal judicial finding made after hearing Hanson testify under oath. It is not a political opinion. It is the considered judgment of an Australian Federal Court judge.
08

The Verdict

30 years. One record.

Pauline Hanson has spent 30 years telling Australians she is one of them. A battler. A plain-speaker. A politician who cuts through the rubbish and fights for ordinary people against a self-serving political class and the wealthy elites who have rigged the system. That story does not match what she has actually done.

She has been found guilty of racial discrimination by the Federal Court of Australia. She has been suspended from the Senate and censured 55 votes to 5. Her senior staff were caught on hidden camera trying to sell Australia's gun laws to American lobbyists for up to $20 million. She personally cast doubt on the Port Arthur massacre on hidden camera. She has accepted a $2 million plane from Australia's richest billionaire and undisclosed jet flights from that same billionaire. She billed taxpayers to attend that billionaire's fundraising events on a luxury cruise ship. She placed her daughter in a $150,000 taxpayer-funded job and banned the journalist who asked about it from all future access. She attended just 12 per cent of Senate estimates hearings over her career while being paid a full senator's salary. She promoted vaccine misinformation linking vaccines to autism and cancer. She published a book claiming Aboriginal women ate their babies to "demonstrate savagery" and used it to raise funds for her party.

While doing all of that, she has voted against wage increases for workers, against childcare funding for families, against housing affordability policies, against public school funding, against renewable energy, against renters' rights, against COVID vaccine urgency as Australians were dying in aged care, and against nearly every social safety net mechanism that would actually help the working-class Australians she claims to represent.

She changed her party's constitution in 2017 to give herself lifetime leadership and the sole right to choose her own successor, making One Nation constitutionally indistinguishable from a personal fiefdom. Seven senators have quit or been expelled from the party since 2016. The party founded on anti-establishment populism is now bankrolled by a mining billionaire worth tens of billions of dollars, flying on her private jet and attending her fundraisers on a luxury cruise ship.

The people who pay the price for Pauline Hanson's political career are the ordinary Australians she claims to represent. The record is public. The choice is yours.

1Federal Court guilty ruling for racial discrimination
55–5Senate vote to censure and suspend her (2025)
88%Senate estimates hearings skipped across her career
$20MSought from US gun lobby to weaken Australian law
7Senators who quit or were expelled from One Nation since 2016
0Times Pauline Hanson has publicly admitted wrongdoing