One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has been accused of hypocrisy after claiming nearly £8,000 in taxpayer-funded charter flights for a flood-affected tour of Queensland, despite previously stating the trip came at 'no cost to the taxpayer'. The expenses, revealed in parliamentary reports, cover three private flights on 10 January between Mount Isa, Cloncurry and Julia Creek.
Hanson and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce initially flew on a luxury Gulfstream G700 owned by billionaire Gina Rinehart from the Sunshine Coast to Mount Isa. Hanson later claimed Rinehart had covered the entire journey, telling a podcast in February that the mining magnate 'flew us up at her expense'. The host emphasised the trip was 'not at the taxpayer’s expense'.
However, the newly published expenses show Hanson billed the public for the subsequent charter flights totalling £15,990. It remains unclear which company operated the charter. Under parliamentary rules, MPs must ensure travel claims meet the 'dominant purpose test' of parliamentary business and achieve 'value for money'.
Hanson has faced mounting scrutiny over her ties to Rinehart, including accepting multiple free flights from Hancock Prospecting that were not declared in line with Senate rules. In March, she defended the arrangement, stating: '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.'
Last month, Hanson announced she had been gifted a 'sexy' new plane by Rinehart, along with £1m in donations from three of Rinehart’s close associates. The revelations have intensified debate over the use of taxpayer funds and the influence of wealthy donors in Australian politics.
