Anthony Albanese has condemned Pauline Hanson’s attack on his late mother, while Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie warned that his campaign against One Nation was only beginning.
The Australian prime minister said he was “stunned” by comments in which Hanson criticised his mother, Maryanne Albanese, for living in public housing for many years.
Speaking in Sydney, Mr Albanese said Hanson was entitled to criticise him but had no right to target his mother, whom he described as a kind woman who had endured a difficult life.
“My mother was way out of Pauline Hanson’s league – way out of it,” he said.
Hanson made the remarks earlier this year during an interview, saying people should not remain in housing commission accommodation for decades. The comments resurfaced on Friday.
She said public housing should provide a temporary “hand up” before residents moved on to make way for others.
Mr Albanese rejected any suggestion that he had complained about growing up in public housing, saying he was proud to have been a “houso” and proud of the community where he was raised.
“She was someone who had a tough life. She didn’t associate with billionaires,” he said of his mother.
Andrew Hastie vows to continue One Nation campaign
Mr Hastie also criticised Hanson, saying politicians should not make comments about the late mother of anyone involved in public life.
“I don’t think you should be talking about the late mother of anyone in this game,” he said. “So let’s leave mums out of it.”
Don Farrell, the Special Minister of State, said he had met Hanson during the week to discuss her concerns but described the comments about Mr Albanese’s mother as “appalling”. He called on her to withdraw them.
Mr Hastie has been locked in a dispute with Hanson after she labelled him a traitor in a cartoon connected to his testimony in Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case.
Hastie called Hanson a “lying coward” after she denied using the term. She defended the cartoon as satire, while One Nation recruit Barnaby Joyce apologised to Mr Hastie.
The accusation was criticised by MPs from across the political spectrum, the RSL and One Nation’s Western Australian leader. Hanson did not remove the cartoon from her social media accounts, although she later unpinned it from the top of her X feed.
Mr Hastie said he had told Mr Joyce that his challenge to One Nation was far from over.
“I will continue. Consider last week a demonstration. They haven’t seen anything yet. I’ll go all the way with One Nation if they want,” he said.
He accused Hanson of politicising the Roberts-Smith case and rejected her claim that he was targeting her to strengthen his own leadership prospects.
Mr Hastie said Angus Taylor was the Coalition’s leader and that he had supported him. He acknowledged that MPs could see themselves as potential leaders, describing his own leadership ambitions as a “baton” somewhere in his knapsack.
He also defended his pro-life position and said he did not regret asking whether mothers who had late-term abortions would be entitled to paid parental leave, although he was continuing to learn how to discuss the issue sensitively.
