Hastie Vows to Go 'All the Way' in Fight With Hanson Over Traitor Cartoon
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie told News24 on Sunday, 13 September 2026, that he would go "all the way" in his fight with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. He called Hanson "still a lying coward" and said he was "not backing down," according to the interview as reported by the Guardian.
Hastie also said Barnaby Joyce and David Farley were probably feeling "buyers' remorse" over joining One Nation, meaning regret after a major decision. Joyce rejected that assessment in comments to Guardian Australia, saying the assumption was "not correct." He said he joined One Nation because he believed the political status quo had become lazy and weak.
The dispute centres on an animated cartoon published by One Nation that described Hastie as a "traitor." Hastie had demanded that the party delete the cartoon. He had earlier called Hanson and Joyce "lying cowards" in connection with the video, as reported by the ABC.
Hanson has refused to take the cartoon down and told critics to "chill." One Nation senator Sean Bell said the party has nothing to apologise for over the video. Independent senator Jacqui Lambie defended Hastie after its publication.
Hastie accepted an apology from Joyce on Friday over the cartoon. Joyce said he had not seen it. Hastie separately warned Joyce that his assault on One Nation was just beginning, in comments reported by the Age.
The broader context here is a public fight, fought in personal language, with no agreed way out. Hastie's choice of words leaves little room for a quiet settlement. Hanson's refusal to remove the material keeps the original grievance live. Joyce's apology, and Hastie's acceptance of it, contained that part of the dispute without resolving the larger one.
Looking at what this means for party management, the exchange tests how One Nation absorbs high-profile recruits. Joyce presents his move as a response to a lazy and weak status quo. Hastie presents Joyce and Farley as likely to regret the decision. Both accounts cannot hold with voters at once, and supporters weighing credibility and discipline are the wider audience.
In my view, the next pressure points are procedural as much as rhetorical. The demand to delete, the refusal to delete, and the partial apology create separate tracks. The deletion question is still open. The language question has escalated. The recruitment question now involves public claims about remorse and motive. Each track can flare independently, which gives both sides options to prolong or to close the dispute.
