Pauline Hanson's Party Faces Fallout Over European Trip, Mass Deportation Remarks
Barnaby Joyce defends One Nation leader after controversial podcast appearance and comments on immigration
Australian lawmaker Barnaby Joyce said Sunday that One Nation does not support a return to the White Australia policy, but he backed party leader Pauline Hanson's call for "mass deportations" of visa overstayers, according to the Guardian.
The comments came as Hanson and her colleagues spent days walking back or clarifying remarks made during a European trip that included an interview with far-right figure Tommy Robinson, an appearance at a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show, and time spent poolside in Italy with mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, the Guardian reported.
Hanson's daughter, Lee Hanson, said her mother's comments on Robinson's podcast had been "misinterpreted."
The episode has renewed scrutiny of One Nation's positions on immigration and its leader's associations, as the minor party seeks to expand its influence in Australian politics. Joyce's defense of Hanson's deportation stance, even while distancing the party from historic race-based immigration policy, illustrates the balancing act facing Australia's right-wing populist movement as it navigates public reaction to Hanson's overseas appearances.
— Compiled from reporting by the Guardian.