One Nation leader names daughter Lee as potential successor in podcast with Tommy Robinson
London: One Nation leader Pauline Hanson named her daughter as a potential leader of the party during a controversial podcast with right-wing activist Tommy Robinson on the threat of mass immigration to Australia and Britain.
Hanson praised his daughter Lee but said she needed to prove herself so there would be no nepotism in decisions about the party’s future.
The remarks, recorded last week, were published online at a highly sensitive time for One Nation and its leadership, amid tensions over Hanson’s working holiday in Europe and his decision to speak to Robinson, a divisive figure convicted of assault.
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce is seen as Hanson’s successor after switching to his party last year, although Hanson’s daughter also joined the party as an adviser after running for the Senate in the last federal election.
In the one-hour podcast with Robinson, the host and his guest shared stories about their political careers, while Hanson promised to win the next election to fulfill his promises to reduce immigration, stop Muslim-hating preachers and ban the burqa.
When asked about his family, Hanson told Robinson his daughter was “savvy” and surprised him when she announced she wanted to run for the Senate in Tasmania a month before election day last year.
Hanson said her daughter witnessed the pressures of political life but chose to enter politics despite the impact it had on families. Lee Hanson was 19 when his mother was convicted of election fraud in 2003 and spent several weeks in jail before the conviction was overturned on appeal.
“He’s a very smart kid. He’s highly intelligent and extremely respected. They didn’t want to lose him in the positions he held, wherever he worked,” he said.
“He took pay cuts to compensate. He said: ‘I know if I don’t stand up… I’m afraid of where the country is going.’
“It’s great to work with him. He’s the future. He has a softer approach.”
When Robinson asked if his daughter could become the leader of One Nation, Hanson said that had not been decided yet.
“He has potential, but I don’t believe in nepotism. And he needs to prove himself – not only to me, but also to the other members, the public and things like that.
“This is something he has to earn.”
‘There is someone in front of you’
Nationals MP Llew O’Brien, a friend of Joyce, named her as the future leader of One Nation when questions emerged about Hanson’s daughter last month.
“If Pauline is looking for someone, she has someone in front of her,” he said.
Hanson, 72, has shown no signs of quitting politics. Lee Hanson, 42, works as an adviser to NSW One Nation senator Sean Bell, earning a salary of more than $150,000 a year.
Hanson clarified her sensitivities when asked about her daughter’s role Guard Australia journalist Sarah Martin was at the National Press Club last month. Hanson called the journalist “trashy” and “disgusting”.
The One Nation leader arrived in Britain early last week and spoke to Robinson during his first days in the country, before visiting his hometown of Luton to warn against the influence of Muslim immigrants.
Hanson left England for Sicily and saw mining billionaire Gina Rinehart at a luxury hotel; This led to his holiday being ridiculed by critics ranging from Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young to Liberal leader Angus Taylor.
In the latest sign of leadership tensions, the imprint revealed unhappiness about the future on Thursday. “It’s falling apart fast. Barnaby and Pauline are constantly at odds,” a source said.
While One Nation adviser James Ashby tried to distance Hanson from Robinson, telling this imprint on Thursday that the Seven Network had suggested the pair talk together, the podcast underlined the political kinship between the two.
Hanson and Robinson laughed together at moments during the podcast and praised each other for continuing to call for reducing immigration even as they were criticized for their beliefs.
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David Crowe is the European correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
