Polarising comments from Pauline Hanson, leader of the Australian One Nation party, have sparked intense debate after she expressed regret over the scrapping of the White Australia policy in an interview on a UK podcast hosted by far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The remarks, made during her visit to the UK for a series of engagements and a holiday, have been widely condemned by politicians across the Australian spectrum.
Hanson, who appeared on the hour-long podcast with Robinson, repeated unsubstantiated claims about the prevalence of Sharia law in Australia and accused Muslim communities of exploiting the country's National Disability Insurance Scheme. She alleged that individuals from 'Muslim areas' were 'ripping the system off', despite providing no evidence to support these assertions. The Australian Health Minister, Mark Butler, swiftly rejected her claims, stating on Friday morning that he had not been provided with any figures to back up Hanson's allegations and expressing reluctance to engage with a podcast featuring Robinson, who is a convicted criminal.
The interview also saw Hanson promoting her daughter, Lee Hanson, as a potential future leader for the One Nation party. She praised her daughter's 'softer approach' and political acumen, despite previously suggesting that she did not believe in nepotism. Lee Hanson currently holds a taxpayer-funded role as a senior adviser to a New South Wales senator and is actively involved in the party's expansion efforts in Tasmania, having narrowly missed securing a Senate seat in the 2025 election.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has a history of criminal convictions and is considered politically toxic by many mainstream figures in Britain, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. His interview with Hanson included questions that singled out specific migrant groups and questioned the 'changing face of Australia due to Islamic immigration', prompting Hanson to reiterate her belief that the end of the White Australia policy was responsible for altering the country's demographic composition.
The controversy has sparked strong reactions in Australia, with Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young condemning Hanson's appearance on the podcast as 'appalling' and 'un-Australian'. Critics argue that Hanson's decision to air such views on a platform associated with Robinson undermines Australia's multicultural values and risks normalising discriminatory rhetoric.