‘Way out of her league’: Emotional PM defends late mother from Hanson’s attack

Anthony Albanese has condemned Pauline Hanson’s personal attack on his late mother after the minor party leader criticised her in a podcast earlier this year for living in public housing for many years.

Hanson also drew the ire of Andrew Hastie, who is waging his own campaign against the senator for branding him a traitor, for comments the Liberal frontbencher said were out of line.

Albanese on Sunday paid tribute to his mother, Maryanne Albanese, for maintaining her kindness despite having a tough life, instead casting “nastiness and spitefulness” as weakness.

“I am stunned at these comments, but I’ll make this point: if Pauline Hanson wants to criticise me, then that’s fine. But my mother was way out of Pauline Hanson’s league – way out of it,” an emotional Albanese said at a press conference in Sydney.

Hanson told The Karl Stefanovic Show earlier this year that Australians should not live in housing commission homes for decades.

“Sorry, that is not on to me. It should be limited time. You have been given a hand up, move it on to the next ones coming through,” she said, in comments that were resurfaced by The Australian on Friday.

Hastie said earlier on Sunday that Hanson was out of line for targeting the prime minister’s mother.

“I don’t think you should be talking about the late mother of anyone in this game, and certainly not reflecting on circumstances over which she had no understanding,” the Liberal frontbencher told News24.

“I remember in the schoolyard, if anyone said anything about your mum, mate, it was on. So let’s leave mums out of it.”

Special Minister of State Don Farrell said he had met with Hanson this week and spent an hour discussing her concerns, but that the “appalling” comments about Albanese’s mother did the minor party leader no favours.

“She wants dignity and respect from her fellow parliamentarians. Attacking the prime minister’s mother like this is not a way to get respect and dignity from your colleagues,” Farrell told News24.

Hastie doubling down on his attack on Hanson in a press gallery doorstop on Wednesday.Alex EllinghausenFarrell, who would not say whether his conversation included potentially allocating more staff to the minor party as its ranks grow, called for Hanson to withdraw the remark.

Albanese on Sunday rejected Hanson’s claim he complained about his upbringing in public housing.

“Nothing could be farther further from the truth. I’m proud to be a ‘houso’, and I’m proud of the community in which I grew up. I’m also proud about my mother,” Albanese said in remarks at Sydney’s Admiralty House, after announcing television presenter Melissa Doyle would chair the National Australia Day Council.

“She was someone who had a tough life. She didn’t associate with billionaires.”

In his lengthy interview on News24, Hastie said he had warned One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce that his own assault on One Nation was just beginning, and that he felt sorry the former deputy prime minister had to work at damage control in Hanson’s wake.

“As I said to Barnaby in text, I will continue. Consider last week a demonstration. They haven’t seen anything yet. I’ll go all the way with One Nation if they want,” Hastie said. “Weakness is provocative … these guys thought I was weak.”

Hastie launched a scathing attack on Hanson last week after being labelled a traitor in her cartoon, Please Explain, for his testimony in accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation action against this masthead. Hastie branded Hanson a “lying coward” after she denied using the term.

Hanson dug in and insisted it was just satire, splitting with her star recruit Joyce, who apologised to Hastie. The “slur” attracted criticism from MPs across the political spectrum, as well as the RSL. One Nation’s own WA leader distanced himself from the accusation.

Hanson refused to scrub the cartoon from her social media, but quietly unpinned it from the top of her X feed over the weekend.

A cartoon version of Liberal MP Andrew Hastie is repeatedly called a “traitor”.Please ExplainHastie suggested Joyce and One Nation’s latest federal recruit, Farrer MP David Farley, had buyer’s remorse.

“I’ll say this about Barnaby Joyce. I feel sorry for the bloke,” he said. “He left a party that made him deputy prime minister twice to jump in with this rabble. There’s no principles; they’re all over the shop, and he’s out there every week cleaning up after them.”

Hastie accused Hanson of politicising the Roberts-Smith case, but said public pressure would not sway him from his convictions.

He said that while doorknocking in his electorate, angry constituents had said they were OK with murder in war, with one person telling him they were OK with rape in war.

“I’ve got to tell you, I’m not happy with that at all,” Hastie said.

Hastie, whose staunch anti-abortion views have been criticised by the left, said he had been counselled by “eminent Australians” and “former Labor ministers outside the Parliament” for asking in October last year if mothers who had late-term abortions would be entitled to paid parental leave.

“I don’t regret them [the comments], but I’m constantly learning in this game about how to better advocate in such a way that is ...sensitive to others,” he said. “But my fundamental position on the issue of abortion is unchanged. I’m pro-life, and I’m not going to suddenly back down to win political points from people.”

Hastie dismissed Hanson’s accusation that he was fighting her to bolster his leadership prospects as “ridiculous”.

“Angus Taylor is the leader. I’ve supported him. Judge me by my actions, and I’ve shown loyalty to Angus since he became leader.”

He said the Coalition could not afford to be divided, but conceded all MPs fancied themselves as a potential leader. “I reckon every single person in the parliament has a baton in their knapsack. Some have it buried beneath their lunchbox. Some have it closer to the top.”

He said his baton was “somewhere in there”.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.