9 Takeaways From Pauline Hanson’s Press Club Address

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson vowed to axe the SBS, shred the ABC, sack discrimination commissioners, and crackdown on Islamic extremism.

One Nation Leader Senator Pauline Hanson before her address to the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on June 17, 2026. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson shed more light on her conservative-leaning party’s policy platform in an address to the National Press Club on June 27.

The once-minor party has been surging in the polls for nearly 10 months straight, culminating in major electoral swings at the South Australia state contest and the federal Farrer by-election, where the orange-tinged party managed to wrest a seat held by the Liberal-National Coalition since 1949.

Recent polls also suggest the party is now more popular than the current Labor government.

Hanson’s speech and subsequent questions and answers session covered issues like net zero, migration and housing, media, transgenderism, artificial intelligence, and the Chinese Communist Party.

The senator was also subjected to what appeared to be a planned protest action within the Press Club itself.

Here are some key takeaways.

Rejecting the ‘Welcome to Country’

Hanson started her speech by saying, “Don’t expect a divisive Welcome to Country from me.”

The Indigenous ceremony has been a common feature in public life but has attracted criticism for being overused.

Ending Mass Migration, Islamic Extremism

Hanson once again reiterated her stance on mass migration and its impact on housing, saying “we cannot be a multicultural society.”

“We are a multiracial society, but we must be ’monocultural,'” she said.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson speaks at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on June 17, 2026. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

She also outlined her plans to crackdown on Islamic extremism, saying hate preachers would either be deported or jailed.

“The people to whom I speak are fed up with hate preachers in some Sydney mosques,” she said, in reference to areas like Lakemba.

Protests Outside and Within

Protesters carrying signs attended outside the event, but it was an organised protest within that raised eyebrows.

During Hanson’s address, a banner akin to a projector screen was lowered behind her that featured her image and the words: “I opposed a pay rise for workers, while I took a $100,000 pay rise for myself.”

Hanson had been speaking on the state of poverty within Australia.

United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet took to X saying someone with access to the building was involved.

“It rolled down as she was speaking,” Babet wrote.

“Senator Hanson is not safe, everyone dropped the ball, what if it was a bomb?”

The stunt was followed by a statement by left-wing organisation GetUp, who accused Hanson of having a “horrifying vision” and claiming responsibility for the act.

“And it’s incredibly hopeful to know that there are literally millions of us ready to do what we can,” the group said in a statement.

“So see you next time. This is the beginning.”

Hours after the event, a reporter from the Guardian confirmed with the National Press Club that the action was undertaken by third parties unrelated to the institution.

A screen descends behind One Nation Leader Senator Pauline Hanson at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on June 17, 2026. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

The club claims two people entered the building without permission on June 16, installing the screen.

An attendee on June 17 used a remote control device to unfurl the banner.

The incident has been reported to the Australian Federal Police.

Plan to Build Nuclear Power Plant, Halt Turbines, Solar

Hanson also said her party would introduce nuclear power to address soaring electricity prices.

“Our energy crisis is a product of failed energy policy and this policy was supported years ago by major political parties and the big media giants,” she said.

Hanson said she would also continue with coal and gas, while pledging to prevent wind turbines and solar farms from being built on agricultural land.

Artificial Intelligence

Hanson said a prospective One Nation government would enforce safeguards on AI development.

“The Albanese government’s response to the coming of AI is largely to leave it in the hands of corporations with little regulation to ensure that the industry operates in the public interest,” she said.

Sack Discrimination Commissioners

The senator said she was not opposed to transgender people, but opposed male-to-female trans accessing women’s sports or activities.

“This transgender ideology is infecting all of society,” she said.

Hanson also said she would sack Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody, and Human Rights Commissioner Hugh de Krestner.

Greens Party co-founder Drew Hutton, who was expelled from the party amid disagreement over trans issues, backed the idea.

“I might not agree with many of her other policies but I sure agree with that one,” he said.

Axe SBS, Shred the ABC

One Nation also pledged to axe the publicly funded multi-language Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) and drastically reduce the scale of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

She said she would keep the ABC free in regional centres where commercial outlets no longer exist, but in major cities, the public broadcaster would be turned into a subscription service, akin to a similar policy in the UK by Reform.

“The SBS will be gone. There’s no need for it anymore, the internet has overtaken the need for it,” Hanson said.

“From its chairman down, the ABC has proven itself to be completely in denial about its profoundly transparent political bias and the activists in its ranks,” she said.

Hanson also vowed never to accept interviews with the Guardian in response to reporter Sarah Martin’s questions on daughter Lee Hanson and a political advisor role.

“You’ve got this obsession with constantly trying to pull down me, my party, or Ms. [Gina] Rinehart,” Hanson told her.

Pacific Nations Need to Pick Australia or the CCP

Hanson said she would scrutinise and potentially cut funding to Pacific nations that double dip by also taking aid money from the Chinese Communist Party.

Australia is the largest donor to developing Pacific nations and has, in recent years, been locked in a donations arms race with the CCP as the communist regime vies for influence in the region.

In turn, Pacific leaders have largely opted out of taking a stance on the debate, preferring to receive aid and overtures from Beijing and democratic nations like Australia and the United States.

“[I have] 130,000 Australians living in poverty here who can’t get a roof over their head, and we’re giving foreign aid to countries that don’t respect it ... that needs change,” Hanson said.

No Clear Time Limit on Abortion Yet

Hanson said she wanted to educated young girls on contraception rather than go through abortion.

“I’m not advocating a time [limit on abortions] at this stage, but I can tell you, from 20 weeks I think it’s too late to have an abortion ... but definitely, 39 weeks to have an abortion, that is clearly not humane,” Hanson said.