Pauline Hanson’s 90-minute performance was ‘popcorn TV’

A daring protest stunt, clashes with journalists and high security – it is safe to say Pauline Hanson’s first appearance at the National Press Club was like no other.

The One Nation leader faced the media on their own turf this afternoon with a 50-minute speech and 40-minute question time.

As protesters demonstrated outside the building, dozens of police officers stood armed and staff led attendees through security measures.

Inside the building, conversation was abuzz as journalists discussed what to expect from the divisive leader and organisers admitted they had rarely seen the room as busy as it was today.

Hanson’s team, Clive Palmer’s Senator Ralph Babet and Brittany Higgins’ partner David Sharaz – who is now the media lead to activist group GetUp – were in the crowd.

Hanson’s first press club address in her 30-year political career was disrupted 20 minutes in as a banner slowly unfurled behind her to read: “I opposed a pay rise for workers while I took a $100,000 pay rise for myself.”

The realisation quickly set in among the crowd that this was not part of the speech and the phones came out and murmurs erupted.

One guest shouts out: “That’s disgusting.”

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Hanson kept to her script as press club staff ripped the banner from the stage.

Moderator Tom Connell said the press club had “no knowledge of what happened”. An investigation is now underway.

GetUp claimed credit for the stunt and said it was their opportunity to get their message across.

“We don’t do stunts for the sake of it. The National Press Club was Hanson’s moment – the biggest platform she’s ever had, with every major media outlet in the room,” they said in an email to supporters.

“We don’t get many chances to put her real record in front of the entire country at the exact moment she’s performing her battler routine. So today, we took that chance.”

Hanson’s speech went over the allocated time and covered everything from migrants, Muslims, transgender people and abortion to the media, housing, AI and Labor.

Then she was up to bat.

The media, who spent much of the speech being criticised by Hanson and even learned that some of their jobs would be gone under her plans for the SBS and ABC, pitched question after question for the next half hour.

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She lashed out at Guardian reporter Sarah Martin, calling her “trashy” for her extensive coverage on One Nation and Gina Rinehart, and SBS reporter Anna Henderson for her question about the service it provides, saying she will be “without a job”.

It’s difficult to describe the vibe in the room during these moments. There were some gasps and eyebrow raises, but otherwise it was seemingly business as usual with the One Nation leader. ”

From Hanson’s camp, however, there were claps and jeers.

Nine national affairs editor Andrew Probyn described the address as “popcorn TV”.

“Fascinating to watch, even if her policy pronouncements were not particularly new,” he said.

“Her advisor, James Ashby, has clearly decided to try and mainstream Pauline Hanson by putting her in a traditional media setting notwithstanding the fact that she’s the ultimate anti-establishment candidate.”

Only voters will decide if today’s speech secured One Nation’s place in that mainstream or was simply the most memorable Press Club address in decades.