Hastie Calls Hanson and Joyce 'Lying Cowards' Over One Nation Traitor Cartoon
Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie has called Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce "lying cowards" over a One Nation cartoon he says portrayed him as a traitor, escalating a standoff between the shadow minister and the minor party that has been brewing for weeks.
In an interview with News24 on 9 September 2026, Hastie went after both Hanson and Joyce over an animated video titled "Don't be Hastie," which Hanson had posted on social media more than a month earlier and pinned to the top of her X account. The Guardian
The cartoon shows Hastie asking Anthony Albanese for help after people call him a traitor online. According to Hastie, it called him a traitor eight times. The video had racked up more than 145,000 views on YouTube.
Hastie, the shadow minister for industry and sovereign capability and a former SAS officer who served in Afghanistan twice, did not hold back. He said the "lying cowards" he was targeting had "never, ever served a day in our uniform overseas on operations" and that they "don't get to define Anzac Day, or Anzac, or the values that underpin our defence force."
The row traces back to Hastie's evidence against Ben Roberts-Smith in the defamation case Roberts-Smith brought against the Nine newspapers, which he lost. On 8 September, Hastie told supporters in a letter that One Nation was trying to unseat him because he gave evidence against the Victoria Cross recipient, and he flagged possible court action against Hanson and her chief strategist James Ashby. Guardian Australia
Hastie has spoken publicly about a campaign of threats and abuse targeting him and his family, and he defended his testimony to the Roberts-Smith trial the same day in remarks reported by Guardian Australia's politics live blog. Guardian Australia
The response from the targets of Hastie's blast was, to put it charitably, not a model of consistency. Hanson denied ever calling Hastie a traitor, telling The Nightly: "I will call him a wanker." Joyce told Guardian Australia he had never called Hastie a traitor "nor ventured anywhere close to any such narrative about him" and that he had not seen the cartoon nor was aware of it. Whether those denials hold up against the pinned post on Hanson's own account is a question that answers itself.
Hastie's willingness to take the fight to One Nation is not new. A Guardian Australia analysis in August noted his effectiveness in attacking the party, having stood up to Hanson, risked the wrath of Gina Rinehart, and criticised WA opposition tactics. Guardian Australia
The broader context here is that this is a Liberal frontbencher going hard after a minor party and a former Nationals leader at the same time, while flagging defamation proceedings. The Coalition's preference management arrangements with One Nation have been a live issue — these are the deals parties make about where to direct voter preferences on ballot papers — and Hastie's escalation puts pressure on any colleagues who might prefer a quieter accommodation. The invocation of military service as a credibility test is also a deliberate framing choice: Hastie is not just disputing the cartoon's accuracy, he is arguing that Hanson and Joyce lack the standing to use the language of traitor and Anzac in the way One Nation has.
Joyce's inclusion in Hastie's broadside is the odder element. Joyce denies any knowledge of the cartoon and has distanced himself from any traitor narrative. If that holds, Hastie's decision to lump him in with Hanson may prove harder to justify than the case against One Nation itself.
For the crossbench dynamics in the Senate, where One Nation holds balance-of-power relevance, a Liberal frontbencher openly threatening litigation against the party and its senior strategist is not a routine disciplinary measure. Whether Hastie follows through on the court action hinted at in his letter to supporters will determine whether this stays a media brawl or becomes a legal one.
