One Nation leader Pauline Hanson claimed nearly £16,000 in taxpayer-funded private charter flights to tour flood-affected Queensland communities, despite previously stating the trip came at “no cost to the taxpayer”. The flights were taken after billionaire Gina Rinehart flew Hanson and Barnaby Joyce to Mount Isa on her private jet.
In January, Hanson and Joyce accepted Rinehart’s offer to fly from the Sunshine Coast to Mount Isa on her Gulfstream G700. They then took charter flights to Julia Creek and Cloncurry to meet local mayors. Hanson told the 2 Worlds Collide podcast that Rinehart suggested the trip and covered the initial flight costs.
Parliamentary expense reports published this week reveal Hanson billed taxpayers £15,990 for three private charter flights on 10 January: Mount Isa to Cloncurry, Cloncurry to Julia Creek, and Julia Creek to Mount Isa. The company providing the charter is unclear. Under parliamentary rules, claims must meet a “dominant purpose test” of parliamentary business and achieve value for money.
Hanson had previously claimed the trip was at no cost to taxpayers, a point echoed by podcast host Sam Bamford. In response to criticism, Hanson questioned whether people would accept “that we flew up on a plane that was actually paid by the taxpayer”. Joyce defended the use of Rinehart’s plane, saying: “Would people prefer the taxpayer pay for it?”
This is not the first time Hanson has billed taxpayers for flights linked to Rinehart. In October last year, she claimed £9,000 for a flight from Tamworth to Avalon to attend an event at a private agricultural college honouring the mining magnate. Hanson has also received multiple free flights from Hancock Prospecting, which she has not always declared in line with Senate rules.
Hanson praised Rinehart for her generosity, saying she handed out “bags and bags” of Tim Tams and chocolates to the community. At a press conference in March, Hanson insisted: “The flights are of no cost to the taxpayer. That’s what I don’t get. It didn’t cost the taxpayer a cent for me to fly on a plane.”
