One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has failed to properly declare additional free flights gifted by mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, this time through her agricultural company S Kidman and Co. Hanson updated her register of interests on Tuesday after questions from Guardian Australia, disclosing multiple flights taken last year.
The undeclared flights include a trip from Tamworth to Brisbane on 8 December, the day former Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce announced his defection to One Nation. Flight-tracking data shows a Pilatus PC-12 registered to Kidman and Co departed Tamworth at 10:30pm that evening, landing in Brisbane an hour later. Hanson also belatedly declared flights for the News Corp bush summit in August, travelling from Brisbane to Toowoomba on 24 August and from Toowoomba to Canberra the next day.
Under Senate rules, sponsored hospitality, travel or gifts valued over $300 must be declared within 35 days. Failure to do so can constitute a serious contempt of the Senate, punishable after a referral to the Privileges Committee. Hanson's office declined to explain the missed disclosures. The register was also updated to include flights for the South Australian election campaign, with a note thanking Kidman CEO Adam Giles.
NSW One Nation senator Sean Bell also updated his register to confirm he was on the same Tamworth to Brisbane flight. Hanson has made contradictory statements about Rinehart's support, denying in February that she was funded by Rinehart, but earlier describing Rinehart as 'very much behind me' on a podcast. Guardian Australia previously revealed Hanson failed to declare flights from Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting to Florida, where she stayed at Rinehart's Palm Beach mansion.
