Pauline Hanson's $9,000 Taxpayer-Funded Flight to Gina Rinehart Event
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson charged Australian taxpayers almost $9,000 for a chartered private plane to attend an event honoring mining billionaire Gina Rinehart's donation to a private agricultural college, according to newly released parliamentary expenses data. The flight, which occurred in October 2025, has intensified scrutiny over Hanson's use of taxpayer-funded entitlements intended for parliamentary business.
Flight Details and Event Attendance
Parliamentary expenses records show Hanson billed taxpayers $8,870 for a chartered flight from Tamworth to Avalon on October 19, 2025. The purpose of the trip was to attend the opening ceremony of Nicholas Hancock House, an $11 million student accommodation building at the private Marcus Oldham College in Geelong, Victoria. The building was named in honor of both sides of Gina Rinehart's family.
According to publicly available flight data, the private chartered plane departed Tamworth at 8:33 AM and landed at Melbourne's Avalon airport shortly before midday. The airport is approximately a 25-minute drive from the agricultural business college where the event took place.
Growing Scrutiny Over Parliamentary Expenses
The flight details, released by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, emerge as Hanson faces increasing examination of her use of taxpayer-funded travel entitlements. Under parliamentary rules, members must ensure their claims meet the "dominant purpose test" of parliamentary business and must use public resources in a way that achieves value for money.
This revelation follows Guardian Australia's recent reporting that Hanson had claimed approximately $8,900 in taxpayer-funded travel for trips that included headlining political fundraisers for One Nation across Australia in the lead-up to the last federal election.
Hanson's Response and Justification
A spokesperson for Hanson told Guardian Australia that the chartered flight represented the cheapest available option, as there were no commercial flights operating between Tamworth and Avalon. The spokesperson further justified Hanson's attendance by stating the college "provides many Queensland students a home away from home during their time studying at Australia's only independent agribusiness and agricultural business management college."
Hanson had been in Tamworth the previous evening for a party dinner on October 18, amid speculation about Barnaby Joyce's potential defection to the right-wing minor party. She flew commercially from Sydney to Tamworth for that event, costing taxpayers $372.14.
Event Proceedings and Undeclared Gifts
At the Marcus Oldham College event, Hanson told attendees she was "honored" to attend at Rinehart's "kind invitation." During a question and answer session, Victorian Liberal MLC Bev McArthur asked Hanson about a federal tax imposed on the Fee-Help scheme for students enrolled in private colleges. Hanson responded that "we are overtaxed in this country" and mentioned that One Nation would eliminate payroll tax and other taxes if in power.
Following the event, Hanson flew from Melbourne to Sydney on Rinehart's private Gulfstream G700 jet. Guardian Australia revealed that Hanson initially failed to declare this flight as a gift within the timeline required under Senate rules, only updating the register after the publication reported on the undeclared flights.
Previous Expenses Controversies
This incident marks another chapter in Hanson's history of controversial taxpayer-funded travel claims. Last year, the senator similarly failed to properly declare that she and her chief of staff, James Ashby, had received flights from Rinehart's company Hancock Prospecting to travel to Florida, where they stayed at Rinehart's $66 million Palm Beach mansion.
In 2024, Hanson's use of taxpayer funds to attend Gina Rinehart's 70th birthday party in Perth underwent an assurance review by the independent expenses watchdog. Her office provided diary entries showing meetings with senior executives from Hancock Prospecting to justify the trip as related to parliamentary duties, and she was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.
Rinehart's Involvement and Absence
Gina Rinehart, who had donated $2 million to Marcus Oldham College, was expected to attend the October 2025 event but did not appear. However, her private jet flew from Perth to Melbourne on the same day, apparently to collect Hanson for the subsequent flight to Sydney. Students at the private agricultural college pay more than $70,000 annually for tuition and on-campus accommodation.
Recent Statements and Clarifications
When questioned at a press conference in Adelaide last month about whether she had received any flights or transfers from Hancock Prospecting to or from the October 19 event, Hanson initially responded, "No... if you are going to try to say that I am being funded by Gina Rinehart, the answer is no." When asked again, she replied, "I can't remember."
Following the event, Hanson returned to Brisbane from Sydney on October 20 via a commercial flight costing taxpayers $1,090.64. Her office stated the senator traveled to Essendon airport via hire car before boarding Rinehart's private jet.
The ongoing scrutiny of Hanson's travel expenses highlights the tension between parliamentary entitlements intended for official business and their potential use for political or personal purposes, particularly when involving relationships with wealthy donors and private interests.
