Albanese denounces Hanson’s ‘nastiness’ over remarks about his mother’s public housing

Anthony Albanese has accused Pauline Hanson of “nastiness and spite” after comments she made about his late mother’s decades in public housing resurfaced.

The One Nation leader is also facing a separate political challenge from Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, who said he would go “all the way” in their dispute and suggested Barnaby Joyce and David Farley may regret joining her party.

On Sunday, Albanese said he was “stunned” by remarks Hanson made during a February episode of Karl Stefanovic’s podcast. She criticised how long Albanese’s mother had lived in public housing and called the prime minister “pathetic” for frequently referring to his housing-commission upbringing.

Albanese said he remained proud of his “battler” mother, who died in 2002.

“I tell you what’s weakness: nastiness and spitefulness, and I am stunned at these comments,” he told reporters.

“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.”

Trade Minister Don Farrell also condemned Hanson’s “appalling” comments and called on the One Nation leader to apologise.

“There’s a certain bitterness in One Nation’s approach to the world that I find quite un-Australian, actually. I think Ms Hanson should apologise,” Farrell told News24.

Hanson has been approached for comment.

In the podcast, Hanson referred to Albanese’s description of his mother living in public housing “for 65 years” and said she believed it was “not on”.

“Housing commission houses should not be there for people to live in them for 30, 40 [years] – and he said his mother lived in the same one she was born in for 65 years,” Hanson had said. “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.”

Hastie says he will not back down

Hastie again accused Hanson of being a “lying coward” after she refused to remove an animated cartoon describing him as a “traitor”. The controversy followed his decision to give evidence under subpoena during Ben Roberts-Smith’s unsuccessful defamation trial.

“She’s still a lying coward. I’m not backing down,” Hastie told News24 on Sunday. “I put the challenge to her. She could have accepted that she’d got it wrong and pulled it down, but she refused to do so, and she has doubled down.

“I’ll go all the way with One Nation if they want … she started a fight, and I intend to win it.”

Hastie said he had previously tried to build a relationship with Hanson, but concluded that she was “not the person I thought she was”.

Hastie accepted Joyce’s apology on Friday after the One Nation senator said he had not seen the cartoon. However, Hastie said Joyce and fellow One Nation MP David Farley were likely experiencing “buyers’ remorse” over joining the party.

“The whole party centres on her. I think this is why Barnaby Joyce and, I reckon, David Farley are probably having buyers’ remorse. They’re thinking, what did I get myself into?” Hastie said.

“I’ll say this about Barnaby Joyce. I feel sorry for the bloke, all right? 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.”

Joyce rejected the suggestion and defended One Nation in comments to Guardian Australia.

“My fear is that the Coalition tread water rather than find land, and lack the strength to make difficult decisions. Politics is not a beauty pageant nor a reality tv show and we get more and more of that,” Joyce said.

“I am in One Nation because I am deeply concerned that the political status quo has become lazy and then weak.”

Farley has been approached for comment.

Hastie has faced sustained political attacks from One Nation for several months, with the party announcing plans to target his Western Australian seat of Canning. The state electorate of Secret Harbour, which One Nation won in a byelection last month, overlaps his federal electorate.

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