Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has drawn criticism after suggesting that Senator Pauline Hanson’s own behaviour and the ideology of her party, One Nation, may be contributing to the threats of violence directed at her. Rowland’s remarks, made during an ABC radio interview on Tuesday, came amid escalating tensions over political rhetoric between the government and the right-wing party.
Rowland urged Hanson to reflect on whether the actions of One Nation and its supporters were encouraging hostility. “I would suggest that Senator Hanson should examine what her party and her ideology and her behaviour is doing, and whether or not that is encouraging that,” Rowland said.
Hanson responded strongly, accusing the Attorney-General of “victim blaming” and demanding a retraction and apology. On social media platform X, she stated that it was inappropriate for a senior government official, particularly the country’s first law officer, to imply any justification for threats based on political affiliation. Hanson argued that millions of Australians support One Nation and contended that the party’s supporters were not extremists or dangerous.
Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman supported Rowland’s comments later in the day, noting concerns within One Nation itself. Gorman referenced Hanson’s own admission that certain branches of the party had been infiltrated by extremists, and reinforced the view that some of One Nation’s past decisions had been divisive rather than unifying.
The dispute follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s remarks at the Queensland state Labor conference on Sunday, where he condemned “hard-right populists” globally without directly naming Hanson or One Nation. However, Treasurer Jim Chalmers explicitly referenced both, warning of threats to the nation's cohesion from a “dangerous and divisive coalition” involving the Liberals, Nationals, and One Nation.
While the government has rejected claims from Hanson that this language incited violence, opposition figures have accused Albanese of being divisive. Former minister Angus Taylor described the Prime Minister as “divisive, dangerous and dishonest.”
The incident has also sparked broader concerns among senior Coalition women about what they describe as a double standard in the political response to threats against female politicians. Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie noted that while threatening behaviour toward female conservative MPs often goes unaddressed, female members on the left receive greater public support. McKenzie, who has personally received death threats, criticized this disparity as hypocritical and politically motivated.
Liberal Senators Kerrynne Liddle and others have echoed worries that the current climate may deter women from entering politics, highlighting a difference in the level of defense offered to women across the political spectrum.
Threats against parliamentarians have increased notably in recent years. Newly released Australian Federal Police data show more than 1,060 reports of threatening or offensive communications were logged in the 2025-26 financial year, up from 951 the year prior.
Rowland acknowledged the growing danger faced by politicians, particularly high-profile women, attributing some of the hostility to social media algorithms that amplify hate and extremism. While emphasizing that such threats are “completely unacceptable and out of control,” she reiterated concerns over extremists linked to One Nation, whom she described as posing a direct risk to the safety of public officials.