One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts has sparked controversy after suggesting that deaths recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic were fabricated, telling supporters "we were conned". The remarks have drawn sharp criticism, feeding into ongoing scrutiny of prominent Australian politicians who continue to promote pandemic conspiracy theories years after the crisis, and raising fresh questions about misinformation within Pauline Hanson's party.

Roberts, a long-serving senator known for climate-change denial and previous Covid-related scepticism, made the comments in a context that has been condemned by critics as dangerous and disrespectful to those who lost loved ones during the pandemic. The backlash centres on the senator's standing as an elected federal representative using his platform to cast doubt on well-documented public health data, with commentators and opponents calling for accountability from One Nation leadership over the claims.