Pauline Hanson calls for apology over attorney-general’s ‘victim-blaming’ remark
Pauline Hanson has called for an apology after Attorney-General Michelle Rowland responded to her claim that the prime minister and treasurer had incited political violence against her.
The One Nation leader on Monday accused Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers of inviting people to treat her as a threat following their remarks over the weekend that her party peddles “dangerous, divisive and downright dishonest” rhetoric and is a “threat to our country and its cohesion”.
Pauline Hanson has demanded an apology. Hilary Wardhaugh
“Words have consequences. That is how political violence is incited,” she said on Monday.
Hanson added that the death of British parliamentarian and member of the far-right party Reform UK Ann Widdecombe – who was killed in her home – should be a warning about political rhetoric.
Rowland told the ABC on Tuesday that while it is dangerous to be a woman in politics, Hanson should look at her own behaviour and the standards she accepts in her party.
“The prevalence of algorithms that are feeding not only hate but also extremism against not only myself but many other politicians right across the aisle is completely unacceptable, and it is out of control,” she said.
“I would suggest that Senator Hanson should examine what her party and what her ideology and her behaviour is doing, and whether or not that is encouraging that.
“When you go on and you entertain some of the individuals whom she has been entertaining, who are not only convicted criminals, when you admit that you have a party that has been infiltrated by extremists and neo-Nazis, this is exactly the kind of danger to which politicians are being put in this country.”
A neo-Nazi protester had crashed a One Nation fundraiser in Melbourne in June, saying “heil Pauline Hanson” while he was being handcuffed by police, which Hanson tried to distance herself from at the time.
Hanson then confronted people in the British suburb of Luton alongside convicted criminal and Islamophobic agitator Tommy Robinson during her controversial trip to Europe in July.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said Pauline Hanson should consider her own actions. Alex Ellinghausen
Most recently last week, One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts defended the right of the nation’s main neo-Nazi group White Australia on the grounds of free speech.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Hanson demanded Rowland retract and apologise for her “victim-blaming” remarks.
“Millions of Australians support One Nation. They are not extremists. They are not dangerous. And ministers should not use language that encourages others to treat them as if they are,” she said.
“No minister, especially the Attorney-General and first law officer of the country, should suggest there is any justification for threats against Australians because of the political party they support.”
A Perth man is currently before the courts after allegedly threatening to kill Hanson.
Nearly 40 people were charged for alleged threats against parliamentarians in the last 12 months with an additional 20 people before the court for making alleged threats against the prime minister.
Albanese and Chalmers made comments against One Nation to party faithful at the Queensland Labor Conference on Sunday, following the right-wing party snatching the Labor seat of Secret Harbour at a byelection the previous day.
“Across the world, hard-right populists are on the march. Peddling politics that is dangerous, divisive, and downright dishonest,” Albanese said.
“The threat to our country and its cohesion, its people and economy posed by a dangerous and divisive Coalition of chaos,” Chalmers said.
The prime minister pointed to Hanson’s previous remarks that domestic violence is sometimes a woman’s fault, Australia should be a monoculture, and that workers are lazy.
Hanson has similarly tried to walk back those comments.
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