Tony Abbott to launch Pauline Hanson's new book

Pauline Hanson used to detest Tony Abbott and blamed him for her stint in jail, but now she says they have some similarities and she is trusting him to launch her new book.

Composite image: Former prime minister Tony Abbott and One Nation leader

Composite image: Former prime minister Tony Abbott and One Nation leader Source: AAP

Senator Hanson has revealed she made a "cheeky" request for the former prime minister to launch a new collection of her political speeches.

Mr Abbott will do the honours in Canberra on Tuesday - more than 14 years after Senator Hanson was released from prison and said, "Heaven help this country if Tony Abbott is ever in control of it. I detest the man."

Senator Hanson says she asked Mr Abbott to launch her book because they are similar in some ways, and because he was among the first to congratulate her on her re-election to federal parliament in 2016.

"I said to Tony over the phone 'I'm going to be a little cheeky with this question' and he laughed and said 'yes' to launching my book," she told AAP in a statement.

Senator Hanson has always blamed Mr Abbott for her brief imprisonment for electoral fraud, a conviction that was later quashed.

Mr Abbott was behind a trust fund set up to fund civil cases against One Nation in the 1990s, when the party posed a threat to the Liberal Party.

Senator Hanson and One Nation co-founder David Ettridge served 11 weeks of a three-year jail sentence after being convicted of electoral fraud in 2003. The convictions were later overturned on appeal.

In a 2016 documentary, aired on SBS after her re-election, Senator Hanson reflected on her jail time and said one court case after another was thrown at her.

"It took me a long time to get over it. I blame Tony Abbott (and) John Howard for my imprisonment and no one will ever change my opinion about that."

But their relationship has thawed in recent years.

Mr Abbott made headlines when he stopped by Senator Hanson's parliamentary office for a coffee, to welcome her back to parliament in 2016.

The occasion was filmed and the footage was posted on Facebook.

"I really appreciate you coming to my office and saying 'hello' and welcoming me to the parliament," Senator Hanson told Mr Abbott.

The former prime minister replied by noting 500,000 people had voted for her.

"You'll be a strong voice for their concerns," he told her.

Senator Hanson said pre-orders for her book, Pauline, In Her Own Words, were strong and a second print run had already been ordered.


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Tony Abbott to launch Pauline Hanson's new book | SBS News