On 17 July 2026, One Nation senator Pauline Hanson sat down for about an hour on a podcast hosted by Tommy Robinson, a far-right British activist whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Hanson was in the UK for conferences and a holiday with billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart (Guardian Australia).

Hanson used the interview to blame the end of the White Australia policy for what she called problems with migration. The White Australia policy was a set of laws that effectively stopped non-European people from migrating to Australia; it was gradually dismantled from the 1950s and formally ended in the 1970s. Hanson contrasted post-World War II European migrants — Italians, Germans and Poles — whom she said fitted in well, with more recent migrant groups she claims have not (Guardian Australia). She also accused Muslim communities of rorting the National Disability Insurance Scheme (the NDIS, the government program that funds support for Australians with disabilities), without providing evidence. Health Minister Mark Butler rejected the claims, saying he had never been given such figures (Guardian Australia).

Robinson was also blunt. He singled out Pakistanis and Somalis and talked about "African problems" when asking Hanson about Islamic immigration to Australia (Guardian Australia). Robinson has multiple criminal convictions and is considered so politically damaging that even Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, keeps his distance (Guardian Australia).

The Guardian's Back to Back Barries podcast, hosted by Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry, asked whether appearing with Robinson might split One Nation and weaken Hanson's leadership. The episode went out on 17 July 2026 (Guardian Australia). Produced by Daniel Semo with executive producer Hannah Parkes, the episode also covered One Nation's stance on international affairs and new polling ahead of the Victorian election (Guardian Australia).

The interview had been coming. Guardian Australia reported on 10 July that Hanson was set to appear on Robinson's podcast, describing it as part of a broader pattern of the senator courting the UK far right through staged events and publicity stunts (Guardian Australia). The New Daily had flagged the interview a day earlier, on 9 July (The New Daily).

Robinson has crossed paths with Australian media before. In late June, YouTube removed a podcast interview Karl Stefanovic did with Robinson (Guardian Australia). One Nation's Facebook page then posted a video of Hanson condemning Channel 9 for dropping Stefanovic, specifically referencing the Robinson interview. The post was authorised by Hanson at 12 Boronia Road, Brisbane (One Nation Facebook).

The story spread across Australian media. ABC News, SBS News and Guardian Australia each ran separate pieces on 17 July on the content and the controversy (ABC News; SBS News). Guardian Australia also reported that News Corp used the Hanson-Robinson meeting as social media content, including a video on The Daily Telegraph's TikTok account (Guardian Australia). On Instagram, the Daily Telegraph featured a columnist arguing Hanson should admit she was a fool for meeting Robinson (Daily Telegraph Instagram).

The broader context here is that Hanson also used the interview to promote her daughter, Lee Hanson, as the future leader of One Nation (Guardian Australia). Lee Hanson runs the party's national operations, has been building One Nation's presence in Tasmania, and nearly won a Senate seat at the 2025 federal election. Guardian Australia reported in February 2026 that she was employed by One Nation as a senior adviser to a NSW senator, in a taxpayer-funded role worth up to $180,000 a year (Guardian Australia).

So the Robinson interview is doing several things at once. It is a signal to a far-right audience overseas, a grab for attention back home, and a way to introduce Lee Hanson as a future leader. Whether any of that is worth being seen alongside someone even Nigel Farage will not go near is the question Cassidy and Barry are asking. Hanson has weathered plenty of controversies before. Whether this one plays differently inside her own party is the thing to watch.