Barnaby Joyce clashed with Sunrise host Nat Barr after refusing to say whether One Nation leader Pauline Hanson should apologise for comments questioning why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's late mother remained in public housing for decades. The exchange has intensified pressure on Hanson, whose remarks about Albanese's upbringing resurfaced amid criticism that she overlooked his mother's long-term illness, turning a personal family story into a fresh flashpoint in the ongoing debate over public housing policy and political point-scoring.

Hanson had said in January that housing commission properties should not be occupied for "30, 40 years" as Albanese's mother, Maryanne, had lived in hers for 65 years, arguing tenants should be moved on once given "a hand up". Pressed three times by Barr on Sunrise, Joyce declined to say Hanson should apologise, instead accusing Albanese of hypocrisy over his multiple properties, including an upcoming $4.5 million Central Coast home, and arguing public housing should be a temporary safety net. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek hit back, saying Maryanne was frequently hospitalised and that Albanese cared for her as a child, contrasting this with Joyce's own boarding school upbringing.