Senator Jacqui Lambie has launched a scathing attack on One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, calling her a “bloody coward” over an animated cartoon that describes Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie as a traitor. The Tasmanian senator, herself a veteran, warned that any veteran considering voting for One Nation “had better think twice” as the political feud escalates.
Lambie defends Hastie after cartoon controversy
Speaking on ABC radio on Thursday, Lambie defended Hastie, a former SAS captain, after he demanded Hanson take responsibility for the One Nation social media video. The cartoon repeatedly labels Hastie a traitor for giving evidence in the failed defamation case brought by Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith against Nine newspapers.
“What she’s doing in those cartoons is absolutely disgusting. They are full of bloody violence,” Lambie said. “But attacking Andrew Hastie, a veteran that has served in our Afghanistan war, or any other veteran, is the lowest ebb you can possibly do. That woman is nothing less than a bloody coward.”
Lambie accused Hanson of revealing her “true colours” and issued a stark warning to the Australian public. “You watch this, the Australian people. Here comes coward Hanson … And any veteran out there thinking about voting for One Nation or standing for them, I tell you what, you had better think twice,” she added.
Political backlash grows against One Nation
Senior Liberals have joined the condemnation, with opposition leader Angus Taylor calling for the cartoon to be removed. “Andrew Hastie has served this country with distinction as an officer in the SAS. She should take it down,” Taylor said during a press conference.
Hastie, who served twice in Afghanistan, has ruled out legal action against Hanson, citing the financial backing of her billionaire supporter Gina Rinehart. “I think it shows [Hanson] to be weak and glass-jawed. I gave her the opportunity to either own her words publicly or to take it down. She chose neither,” he told ABC radio.
“She’s not fit to govern this country. And she’s also cast a massive slur on veterans around the country who think that Australian soldiers should hold high standards of conduct on the battlefield. I’m not after legal action, particularly when she’s financed by Australia’s richest person. Why would I walk into a fight that I can’t win financially? But yes, I’m going to impose costs politically.”
Hanson’s response and further criticism
Hanson has denied personally calling Hastie a coward, despite posting the video on her social media accounts. She told The Nightly newspaper she would instead call him a “wanker”. The controversy stems from Hastie’s evidence in the Roberts-Smith defamation case, which Hanson and Rinehart claim unfairly targets him over war crimes allegations related to his service between 2009 and 2012.
Greens senator David Shoebridge also criticised Hanson, telling News24 it was disgraceful to attack Hastie for giving sworn evidence in court. “I disagree with pretty much everything that comes out of Hastie’s mouth, like his whole suite of policies are things that I tend to oppose … but for the life of me, I can’t work out how any political party can stand by an attack on somebody because they go into court and they tell the truth as they understand it,” he said.
Shadow defence minister James Paterson said Hanson and her strategist James Ashby “should be ashamed of themselves.” “I would never dream of accusing someone who has served in uniform for our country of being a traitor,” Paterson said. “There’s no graver accusation to make, particularly about someone like Andrew Hastie. Andrew Hastie signed up to the ADF after 9/11. He signed up to fight Islamist terrorists as part of the global war on terror. He served on the front lines in Afghanistan over multiple tours. What service has anyone in One Nation given that compares in any way, shape or form to Andrew Hastie’s service?”
Hastie has also challenged Nationals defector Barnaby Joyce to take responsibility for the video, promising a costly political battle. The video remains online despite widespread calls for its removal.
