Jacqui Lambie explodes at Pauline Hanson and declares war on One Nation leader as she brands her a ‘disgusting coward’: ‘I’m on to you now’
Independent Australian senator Jacqui Lambie has launched a furious attack on One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, calling on her to "leave veterans alone" after a satirical cartoon posted by Hanson labelled Liberal frontbencher and former SAS soldier Andrew Hastie a "traitor". The row stems from Hastie's testimony during the defamation trial of accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith, with whom he served in the SAS, and it has triggered widespread condemnation of Hanson from across the political spectrum, including from political rivals who rarely agree with Hastie.
Lambie, herself a veteran, branded Hanson a "disgusting coward" and a "10-second grub of rubbish", demanding she apologise to Hastie and take the cartoon down, which remained pinned to the top of Hanson's X account as of Friday morning. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, Labor minister Madeleine King and Greens senator David Shoebridge all separately criticised Hanson's actions as appalling and despicable, while Hastie hit back by calling Hanson and fellow One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce "glass-jawed" and "lying cowards" after she refused to remove the video, which she had earlier dismissed as satire.
- Lambie brands Hanson a "disgusting coward" over cartoon calling Hastie a traitor
- Row traces back to Hastie's evidence in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial
- Politicians across parties, including Labor and Greens figures, condemn Hanson
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those defending Hanson's right to post the cartoon would frame it as robust political satire, arguing that politicians and public figures cannot be shielded from sharp, even provocative commentary on their conduct, and that Hastie's testimony in the Roberts-Smith case is a legitimate matter of public debate. They would contend that "traitor" was rhetorical hyperbole rather than a literal accusation, consistent with a long tradition of pointed political cartooning, and that demands to delete it amount to an attempt to suppress dissenting views on a contested trial. On this view, treating all criticism of a veteran-turned-politician as off-limits risks placing certain public figures beyond fair scrutiny simply because of their service background.
The case against
Those siding with Lambie and Hastie would argue that branding a decorated former SAS soldier a "traitor" for giving truthful testimony in a legal proceeding is not ordinary political knockabout but a serious and damaging slur, one that could discourage honest testimony in cases involving alleged war crimes. They would say public figures, especially those trading on strong support among veterans, bear a particular responsibility not to weaponise service and sacrifice for point-scoring, and that refusing to apologise or remove the material once widespread offence was expressed compounds rather than excuses the harm. For advocates of this view, protecting the integrity of witnesses and the judicial process, and showing basic respect for those who served, ought to outweigh any claim to satirical licence.