Pauline Hanson’s speech ‘shameful’ and echoed ‘rubbish’ from rightwing figures in UK and US, critics say

Pauline Hanson has been roundly condemned for her National Press Club speech, with advocacy groups accusing the One Nation leader of using “hatred for political gain” while the Greens say Hanson is echoing “rubbish” lines from rightwing figures in the UK and US.

In Hanson’s first address after 20 years in politics, the leader claimed transgender ideology “has penetrated almost every regulatory authority”.

Hanson also claimed without evidence that schoolchildren were having dangerous ideology “imposed” on them, and likened trans awareness to militant Islam.

Equality Australia’s legal director, Heather Corkhill, said the language used could make trans people greater targets for hate and violence.

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“Hanson’s comments are simply shameful, and are a stark example of the extreme rhetoric being directed at trans Australians,” she said.

“At a time when we are seeing an alarming rise in often violent, targeted attacks against LGBTIQ+ people, Hanson has taken her opportunity to accelerate this hatred for political gain.

“This is a bald attempt to turn a small and vulnerable minority into a political scapegoat.”

The group said polling for Equality Australia by Redbridge Group in March 2025 found 81% of Australians agreed or strongly agreed that trans people deserve the same rights and protections as other Australians.

Hanson said she did not believe transwomen should be allowed in women’s sports and promised to sack the sex discrimination commissioner, Anna Cody.

“Almost every instrument of government [is] dedicated to a transgender ideology which seeks to redefine humanity,” Hanson claimed.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called the speech “deplorable” and accused Hanson of attacking half the country with her comments against Australians born overseas or whose parent was born overseas.

“Pauline Hanson said herself today she has not changed, and boy didn’t we see that same old hate, that same old fear and same old racism,” Hanson-Young said.

“Pauline Hanson is deplorable, she’s nasty, she’s got no new ideas, and she’s just trumpeting the same old rubbish we’re seeing from the United States and the hard right in the UK.”

Hanson said in her speech that opposing multiculturalism was “not racist”. The One Nation leader was accused of racist and divisive language in February, after she said there were no “good” Muslims. In 2024, Hanson was found by a judge to have engaged in racial discrimination against Greens senator, Mehreen Faruqi.

Refugee groups have also called out Hanson over inflammatory comments against multiculturalism, including her claim that Australia should be “monocultural”.

Hanson claimed western values were under siege, and governments were too “frightened” to crack down on Islamic extremism.

“We are a multiracial society, but we must be monocultural. Australians must live under the one cultural umbrella,” Hanson said.

Deputy chief executive of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Jana Favero, said she was “shocked and disgusted” hearing the address, warning the language was contributing to an increase in racism in Australia.

“She attacked multicultural Australia, she demonised people from different backgrounds,” Favero said. “We’re already seeing the consequences of the language that’s been coming from Pauline Hanson and One Nation and other political leaders – we’ve seen an increase in racism reported by our staff, our multicultural staff and our volunteers.”

The Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia chair, Peter Doukas, said the idea of a monocultural country was a “complete fabrication”.

“There were Australians of many cultures sent to Gallipoli and Kokoda, there were First Nations soldiers throughout all our wars, so the basic principle of us ‘returning’ to a single culture is a complete fabrication.”

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, offered a short rebuke of Hanson’s comments against multiculturalism, telling reporters at a press conference, “what she offers is division and anger, but no answers”.

Labor frontbencher Matt Thistlethwaite said Hanson had today “revealed her true colours” over her call to make it easier for bosses to sack workers, and previous opposition to wage rises. During the address, Hanson said small businesses could not afford wage rises.

“This is One Nation’s true colours coming through, they do not support workers and we see that that today in the comments she made,” Thistlethwaite told the ABC.

Coalition senator James McGrath called the speech a “a series of grumbles and complaints” and took aim at Hanson’s threat to shut down SBS and gut the ABC.

“You can’t go around and just ban media organisations, regardless of your view of them,” he told Sky News.

“The fourth estate has a very important role to make sure that all politicians, regardless of our political positions, are held to account.”