Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie has accused One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Nationals figure Barnaby Joyce of being "lying cowards" after they denied labelling him a traitor, escalating a public dispute rooted in his testimony at the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial. The row matters because it pits a sitting government frontbencher and former SAS officer against a minor party targeting his own electorate, and touches on sensitive questions about veterans' conduct and the treatment of war crimes allegations in Australian politics.

Speaking in Canberra, Hastie cited a July 23 episode of Hanson's animated series "Please Explain", which he says calls him a traitor eight times over his court testimony and his support for hate speech legislation. He demanded Hanson and Joyce either "own" the cartoon and justify the claim or delete it, arguing the slur also implicated the 26 other combat veterans who gave evidence under oath, and noted that One Nation is targeting his seat of Canning at the next election.