Leaked emails have revealed Channel 7 current affairs program Spotlight’s botched plan to fly Pauline Hanson to Iraq before transporting her to a “high risk” Al-Roj refugee camp in Syria.
The extraordinary plan to film Senator Hanson for the TV program at the site where ISIS brides spent years living in detention is outlined in a 23-page “confidential and restricted” risk assessment provided to news.com.au amid a feud between Seven and One Nation over the program’s fallout.
Seven West Media and the Spotlight program paid for the extensive risk assessment plan to protect Senator Hanson, who previously made global headlines for wearing a full-face Islamic burqa in Parliament to push for a national ban on public face coverings.
The email went to a number of senior journalists and other Seven staff.
The One Nation leader went through with the Spotlight program but refused to travel to the refugee camp. She claims that Seven later pulled out of paying for the UK trip suggesting it would be a “bad look” for the program.
“Spotlight have been shady from day one. Original travel plans for the Spotlight episode were to be paid by Channel 7. They pulled out forcing One Nation to cover all travel costs,” Senator Hanson wrote on social media.
A spokesperson for Seven, which was previously embroiled in a controversy over a producer allegedly paying for cocaine and sex workers for alleged rapist Bruce Lehrmann without their knowledge or consent, said it did not pay for Senator Hanson’s travel.
“Seven paid for incidentals, including a vehicle used in the production process and a hotel room used for filming purposes as well as security to protect Seven staff while recording on UK streets, but no travel expenses for One Nation,’’ a spokesman said.
Seven was contacted for comment regarding the plan to send the One Nation Senator into the Al-Roj refugee camp.
The camp is a tightly controlled detention facility in northeastern Syria near the Iraqi border, holding roughly 2300 foreign family members of suspected Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS) fighters.
The 23-page risk assessment was prepared by GM Risk Group outlining “High & Extreme Risk Details and Controls Measures” and a risk matrix for the trip.
The document states that the planned “deployment” would involve:
• Entry into Syria via Kurdish-controlled border crossing points
• Movement to and operation within SDF-controlled areas, including Qamishli
• Access to detention facilities and IDP camps housing ISIS-affiliated individuals
• Filming and engagement with detainees, camp residents, and local authorities
It noted that “the presence of an Australian Senator introduces a heightened political and security dimension”, increasing exposure to potential “detention or administrative interference, propaganda or political exploitation, targeting by extremist actors”.
“This task has been completed by other media crews in the last 6 months, and GM Risk Group has supported media operations in the region, and to the IDP’s previously with no issues,’’ the document states.
“Operations will be conducted in a non-permissive, high-risk environment, with limited external support and constrained extraction options.
“While access into Erbil remains stable, onward movement into northeast Syria is dependent on border permissions, local authority alignment, and conditions at the Faysh Khabur crossing, all of which can shift with limited notice. The crossing itself represents a critical point of failure; any disruption or closure will directly impact both ingress and the team’s ability to withdraw.
“The presence of an Australian Senator materially elevates the likelihood of scrutiny, restriction of movement, or detention under local authority processes.
“While large-scale kinetic activity is not constant across the area of operations, the region remains exposed to residual ISIS capability and external military pressure, including Turkish strike activity targeting SDF positions. These risks are location-dependent and can escalate without warning, particularly along transit routes or in proximity to security infrastructure.
“Medical support within northeast Syria is limited, with no reliable trauma care capability. Any serious incident will require ground evacuation back into Iraq, extending response timelines and increasing dependency on border access.”
The document also notes that while ISIS no longer holds territory, it retains sleeper cells, support networks within local populations and capability for opportunistic attacks, including IEDs, small arms, and targeted killings.
However, it describes the threat is best assessed as persistent rather than acute, with the ability to escalate locally and rapidly.
In the event of incidents it suggests that “crews will revert to a hold or shelter-in-place posture, pending reassessment, or initiate controlled withdrawal back to Erbil where viable.” and outlines “extraction triggers”.
“If the border crossing remains open but conditions are degrading, extraction will be initiated early, prior to loss of access. If the crossing is closed while the team remains in Syria, crews will revert to a shelter-in-place posture within a controlled SDF area, pending reopening or negotiated movement,’’ the document states.
“Each crew member is to carry an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK). A prepared Go Bag must remain accessible at all times, containing essential medical supplies, communications equipment, documentation, water, and critical personal items.”
One Nation paid for $900 a night hotel
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has confirmed it used party funds to book $900 a night hotel rooms in London and flights but insists it did not leave the rooms empty while she travelled to Italy to meet mining magnate Gina Rinehart.
For weeks, mystery surrounded who paid for the accommodation and flights after Senator Hanson updated the register of interests to suggest it was privately funded without further details.
She has repeatedly insisted that taxpayers were not footing the bill.
One Nation has now confirmed that the flights and the accommodation were paid for out of party funds.
However, the party denies using cash from the crowd-funded Fire the Liar fundraising drive to pay for the trip, which it says Channel 7’s Spotlight originally proposed to pay for before changing its mind as it was “a bad look” to cover the MP’s travel.
News.com.au understands from party sources at the party has raised a war chest of nearly $20 million from fundraising including the Fire the Liar and is now generating significant interest from the investment.
The London trip is believed to have been paid for by the party using income generated from those investments, rather than directly accessing the crowd-funded cash.
The Sydney Morning Herald was first to report on Friday that party funds were used and asserted that $900-a-night rooms were kept vacant while she flew to Italy with mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.
One Nation insists that the second part of the story — that rooms were left vacant during the Italy trip — is untrue. Rooms were left empty on some days but not during the trip to Italy. The party has blamed Seven’s Spotlight for leaking details of the trip.
News.com.au does not assert this is true, only that One Nation has fallen out with Spotlight and pointed the finger at Channel 7 for the leaks.
“Spotlight have been shady from day one,” a party spokesman said.
“Original travel plans for the Spotlight episode were to be paid by channel Seven. They pulled out forcing One Nation to cover all travel costs.
“Expedia invoices prove that allegations made in the (Sydney Morning Herald) are false.”
The Conrad London St James is a five-star hotel within walking distance of Buckingham Palace. It is located in historic 19th-century building, positioned next to the St. James’s Park Underground Station.
Rooms left empty on the trip
One Nation confirmed that rooms were left empty at the beginning and end of the trip to allow for late arrivals and departures for flights.
It’s understood that the luxury hotel would not allow an early check-in, resulting in a room needing to be booked for an extra day to account for a late arrival after their flights landed in the UK.
When Senator Hanson and her party strategist James Ashby flew back, they also changed to an earlier flight to get back to Perth for a business breakfast organised by The West Australian, leaving the rooms early.
The Sydney Morning Herald quoted a source, granted anonymity to speak freely, claiming Senator Hanson had paid for a lengthy block and left the rooms vacant for five nights while she flew to Italy to meet with Ms Rinehart.
One Nation has provided Expedia booking receipts asserting that is untrue and the booking was changed.
Senator Hanson has repeatedly insisted taxpayers did not pay “one cent” towards the overseas trip.
Rinehart picks up bill for flights
Just weeks ago, Ms Hanson revealed that Ms Rinehart picked up the tab for her flights between London, Rome and Sicily and her ticket to a Dolce & Gabbana fashion parade.
Senator Hanson, who previously declined to say who paid for the trip, lodged an update to her pecuniary interest register this week confirming she personally covered the cost of her accommodation, meals and expenses.
However, the billionaire covered the connecting flights for Senator Hanson’s European trip.
“It didn’t cost the taxpayer one cent for my trip overseas. Not one cent,” Senator Hanson said.
The One Nation leader holidayed with Ms Rinehart at the five-star Grand Hotel San Pietro, where the pair were photographed poolside.
The images, first reported by The Australian Financial Review, were snapped by fellow Aussies at the luxury resort in Sicily.
The venue rose to fame after featuring as the backdrop for HBO’s smash hit drama The White Lotus.
In a social media video responding to criticism in Australia over the trip, the One Nation leader was unrepentant.
“Yes, I went to Sicily. Yes, I went to the Dolce & Gabbana fashion show,” she said.
“What an experience. I was invited to go and thought, ‘Well, I’ve never been to anything like that.’ And I thought, ‘Yes, I’m going to go and see it.’ Is it my scene? No, no way in the wide world.”
Ms Hanson has previously declared multiple gifts from Ms Rinehart and her company Hancock Prospecting, including return flights to Florida in October and a “bloody big orange bulldozer”.
She has also confirmed being gifted a plane by Ms Rinehart to campaign in regional Australia.
“Yes, it was donated. Yes, I’m super happy. Yes, it’s fast. Yes, it’s amazing,” she said.
“Yes, it means I can visit more regional towns across the country more often.”
Senator Hanson described the aircraft — a Cirrus G7 — as “sexy” and revealed she would not be doing “welcome to country each (time) we land”.
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