Prompted by Senator Hanson’s claims on Monday that Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers had potentially incited violence by labelling her party “dangerous” and a “threat” to Australia, Ms Rowland on Tuesday defended the Prime Minister and said it was Senator Hanson’s behaviour and some people in One Nation who were to blame.
Ms Rowland’s intervention was swiftly rebuked by Senator Hanson, who demanded an apology and said the Attorney-General had been victim-blaming.
“Attorney-General Michelle Rowland must retract her comments and apologise for slandering One Nation and its supporters while appearing to excuse the violent threats directed against them,” Senator Hanson posted on X.
“Millions of Australians support One Nation. They are not extremists. They are not dangerous. And ministers should not use language that encourages others to treat them as if they are. No minister, especially the Attorney-General and first law officer of the country, should suggest there is any justification for threats against Australians because of the political party they support.
“Labor should be asking why Australians are abandoning them for One Nation, not demonising those Australians for how they vote and putting them in danger. These are desperate acts from a government of liars.”
Ms Rowland acknowledged it was dangerous to be a politician in Australia, as well as a high-profile woman, with social media algorithms “feeding not only hate, but also extremism against not only myself but many other politicians right across the aisle”. This was “completely unacceptable and it is out of control”, she said.
Ms Rowland urged Senator Hanson to look at her party and herself before making accusations about others inciting political violence.
“I would suggest that Senator Hanson should examine what her party and what her ideology and her behaviour is doing, and whether or not that is encouraging that. When you go on and you entertain some of the individuals whom she has been entertaining, who are not only convicted criminals, when you admit that you have a party that has been infiltrated by extremists and neo-Nazis, this is exactly the kind of danger to which politicians are being put in this country,” Ms Rowland said on ABC radio.
“I don’t wish ill on Ms. Hanson in a physical way, I don’t wish any politician any ill will, irrespective of their political persuasion, but I think sometimes when comments like this are made, one needs to look at oneself and one’s behaviour and the kinds of standards that they accept into their own party and their own ideology.”
As threats against Senator Hanson escalate, extra Australian Federal Police officers have been assigned to her. She’s also increased security at her home.
Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman said on Monday Labor had been urging all politicians for years to bring the temperature down.
“I completely disagree with the assertion that Senator Hanson has put out there. It has been the Labor government that have been saying for years and years that we need to bring the temperature down and disagree respectfully. And that is what I do,” he said on ABC TV.
“It is what the Prime Minister does. It is not always, I will be honest, what I see and what I observe from One Nation. But I welcome Senator Hanson joining with us to say that we need to make sure we all treat one another in a respectful way.
“I have found some of the stunts that Senator Hanson has done over the years, including in the Senate chamber, to be not consistent with the effort to make sure that we bring Australians together and do our politics respectfully.”
Queensland Liberal MP Garth Hamilton, who has been outspoken against One Nation, also dismissed Senator Hanson’s accusation that Mr Albanese may be inciting violence.
Mr Hamilton said Senator Hanson had “made her career” by saying worse things than the Prime Minister had.
“There is a little bit of hypocrisy at play here in this constant game of, ‘I am the victim’. I would remind everybody, this is a party that, by its own admission, is currently infiltrated by extremists,” he said on ABC TV.
“This is a politician who went and did a podcast with Tommy Robinson. This is a party that has Malcolm Roberts throwing his support behind Vladimir Putin. A party that, until very recently, was re-employing a convicted violent sexual offender as campaign director. Please spare me.”
Rallying party faithful at the Queensland state Labor conference on Sunday, Mr Albanese said hard-right populists were on the march around the world.
Without naming One Nation, he said: “Peddling politics that is dangerous, divisive, and downright dishonest. We simply must defeat them. We owe it to history.”
The Treasurer also addressed the conference, saying Labor had a “special responsibility” in Queensland to tackle parties on the right.
“Here I mean the threat to our country and its cohesion, its people and economy posed by a dangerous and divisive Coalition of chaos,” he said.
“A three-ring circus of Liberals, Nationals and One Nation with that karaoke clown from Melbourne as its chief economic spokesman.”
Read related topics:One NationPauline Hanson