Pauline Hanson breaks down talking about jail time, DV in Perth speech

Pauline Hanson has opened up about her time in prison in an emotional swipe at former prime minister Tony Abbott.

The One Nation leader wiped away tears in footage from a speaking event at the Swan Chamber of Commerce in Perth’s eastern suburbs on Thursday.

The emotional response was reportedly triggered by the account of Senator Hanson spending 11 weeks in jail for election fraud in 2003 and the damage it caused to his children, as well as allegations of domestic violence during his second marriage.

Senator Hanson blamed Mr Abbott and former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie for the prison sentence, which was overturned on appeal.

“This was a political witch hunt,” he said, according to The Australian.

“Ahead of my trial, Peter Beattie changed the laws in Queensland from six months’ imprisonment or fine to seven years’ imprisonment retroactively. That’s why the judge can (sentence) me to three years’ imprisonment on each charge.”

“This was structurally set up by Tony Abbott, who set up a slush fund to get me through this legal battle.

“And he got ten prominent Australians to put up $10,000 each.”

Senator Hanson claimed at least one of these people was from Western Australia but said he did not know who all of them were.

He said his time behind bars was “very hard on my kids.”

“Children didn’t have fathers back then,” he said.

“I was all they had, and so I was their whole life. And because of politics, they had to wear so much.”

“But do you know what they said to me the other day? They said, Mom, it wasn’t easy, but you taught us to be independent, to stand on our own feet, and we thank you for that.”

Earlier this year, Senator Hanson defied the years when speaking about his time in prison in an interview with Karl Stefanovic.

The 71-year-old man said he was “devastated” by the ordeal and “never thought he would end up in prison”.

Later Thursday, Senator Hanson also spoke about her experience with domestic violence.

“I’m not going to go into details… We broke up in 1987 and since then I’ve essentially been a single woman,” she reportedly said.

“I’ve had a few relationships but I never got married again, it’s not my thing.”

Daughter to run for Senate seat

Senator Hanson said his daughter Lee, who ran unsuccessfully as a One Nation candidate in the 2025 federal election, was working on behalf of one of the party’s senators.

“He’s going to run for Senate in the next election, and I’m very proud of him,” he said.

“I don’t believe in men’s businesses, and you can either cut it or you don’t. Because what I’m trying to do, what I’m trying to achieve, you need the right people around you to make it work. That’s why I think she’s going to be a great asset.”

But Senator Hanson said his sons “won’t even come close.”

“But girl, she is different,” he said.

It comes as leading Liberal Party candidate Tony Pasin called on the opposition to reach an agreement with One Nation to share which seats they will run for.

Leader Angus Taylor has left the door open to a deal with One Nation in recent weeks as the right-wing populist party continues its rise in the polls.

New Liberal Party leader and former prime minister Tony Abbott has also backed a possible preference swap with One Nation.