Do we like Pauline Hanson?
Our score: 1 out of 10. A long run of her own remarks and votes aimed at Muslims, trans people, First Nations people and women, with little verified good to set against it.
Hanson has been a fixture of Australian politics for three decades and now sits as the Senator for Queensland, leading her own party. Her past includes a 2003 conviction in the District Court of Queensland, with a three-year jail sentence, that the Queensland Court of Appeal overturned in November 2003. She has told that story ever since as proof she is the establishment's target.
This year started with her Sky News comments about Islamic State militants' wives, where she said the Koran shows Muslims hate Westerners and asked “How can you tell me there are good Muslims?” She told the ABC she did not believe there are no good Muslims and apologised to anyone offended, but refused to apologise for her broader claims. The Australian Federal Police later finalised its inquiry into complaints with no findings against her, saying the comments fell short of the offence threshold. She responded that Labor was trying to use hate speech laws to put her back in jail.
It follows a pattern. In November 2025 she wore a burqa into the Senate after her bill to ban face coverings in public was blocked. The Senate suspended her for the day, then voted to censure her and barred her for seven consecutive sitting days. She said the Senate was hypocritical and that voters would judge her in 2028.
On LGBTQ+ people the record is plain. At the June National Press Club address she warned of a “transgender insurgency”, called the movement “a militant force right throughout society”, and promised to sack the Sex Discrimination Commissioner. In August she said she still doesn't like the Sydney Mardi Gras and that sexuality belongs “behind closed doors”. Her votes line up: They Vote For You has her almost always voting against transgender rights and protections, and against trans kids' access to gender-affirming healthcare.
In July she told 4BC radio that domestic violence is wrong but also a “two-way street”. The Sex Discrimination Commissioner said any suggestion victim-survivors share the blame is harmful, and a women's shelter CEO said leaving is nowhere near as easy as “just leave”. Hanson said media outlets took her out of context, and she has publicly referred to her own experience.
The September clip was the latest blow-up on Indigenous issues. Hanson said she regrets the “primitive race” wording and would apologise if she offended anyone, but she'd keep speaking out on Indigenous funding and living conditions. Commissioners called the comments “racist, dehumanising comments” and Katie Kiss said people across the political spectrum criticised them within a day. Her recorded votes include consistently voting against implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.