Story perspectives

Hanson’s Eight “Traitor” Posts Draw Condemnation Over Hastie

By Drooid · Sep 19, 2026, 7:57 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Pauline Hanson called Liberal MP Andrew Hastie a “traitor” eight times on social media and pinned an animated cartoon.
One Nation labeled Hastie a “gutless maggot” after his subpoena testimony in Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation case.
Justice Anthony Besanko described Hastie’s evidence as “honest and straightforward” and called Roberts-Smith a liar.
RSL, Senator Jacqui Lambie and Deputy PM Richard Marles condemned Hanson, who refused to apologise.

History

Historical Context

Hanson first stunned voters in the 1996 federal election, winning Queensland’s Oxley as an independent after the Liberal Party disendorsed her. Her One Nation party then secured 8.99% of the Senate vote in 1998 and returned four senators in 2016, establishing a populist presence. The 2024 defamation suit by Ben Roberts-Smith, after Hanson called Liberal MP Andrew Hastie a “traitor,” echoes those earlier tensions.

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Story summary

Pauline Hanson called Liberal MP Andrew Hastie a “traitor” eight times on social media and pinned an animated cartoon.
One Nation labeled Hastie a “gutless maggot” after his subpoena testimony in Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation case.
Justice Anthony Besanko described Hastie’s evidence as “honest and straightforward” and called Roberts-Smith a liar.
RSL, Senator Jacqui Lambie and Deputy PM Richard Marles condemned Hanson, who refused to apologise.

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