One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's speech to the National Press Club has been condemned for its targeting of migrants, transgender Australians, new parents and public broadcasters. Accused of lacking a 'credible path' forward, critics of Senator Hanson say her speech was worrying and irresponsible.
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TRANSCRIPT
In her first address to the National Press Club after over 20 years in politics, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson made calls for Australia to be a 'monocultural society', took aim at journalists, and questioned the need for paid parental leave.
Key to Senator Hanson's speech were her claims that immigration and multiculturalism are at the centre of Australia's housing crisis.
"Undeniably immigration or immigration policy has our country in the state of crisis. At the centre of this crisis is the utterly flawed policy of multiculturalism."
Speaking to SBS, Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly says the remarks were irresponsible and hateful.
"There is a fear in the community of how this might resonate and what the real impacts of this might have on people. Particularly, the kind of dog-whistling, but also some of the blatant racism that is in there as well. But there is also a sense of in unity we are strong. And a sense also that this is really about degrading Australia, degrading our communities. There is a strong sense of identity among all Australians that really puts our diversity at the core of that. That our diversity is our strength."
Senior economist at the Australia Institute, Matt Grudnoff, says data shows that migrants are not having an impact on housing affordability and says migrants generally have a positive impact on the economy.
Speaking to SBS Filipino, Kristine Aquino is a sociologist with a research focus on migration and racism at the University of Technology Sydney.
She says blaming migrants for systemic issues is a racist scapegoat.
"There is a bit of a fallacy around the idea of Australia as yeah, as this kind of successful multicultural nation that has somehow discarded racism. You know, it's still, very much, you know, demonises migrants, and, and so on, and you can see that now more than ever, with migrants being blamed for the housing crisis, migrants, being blamed for all sorts of reasons, so that is still there, but in much more, operates in a much more complex way than the kind of direct exclusion that, people used to experience."]]
Ms Hanson also pledged to restrict immigration from places she claims are immersed in radical Islam.
Raising fears about national security, the One Nation leader says she 'thinks' that there are currently 18,000 people on the ASIO watchlist.
But her source for this figure is unclear, as ASIO states it does not have a watch list tally.
President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Dr Rateb Jneid says Muslim Australians are not the problem.
"Muslim Australians are not guests, we are not a problem to be managed, we are not a security risk to be explained away. We are citizens, neighbours, workers, students, parents, volunteers, professionals business owners, community leaders and public servants, we are part of Australia."
On the issue of multiculturalism, Ms Hanson says that one in four Australians speak a language other than English at home, calling into question how the country can achieve social cohesion if people don't speak the same language.
"Only a fool would ignore the growing language problem which is a function of immigration."
However, speaking another language at home does not mean people do not also speak English, with only 3.4 per cent of people reporting at the last census that they don't speak English well or at all.
Recent polling from the Australian Bureau of Statistics [[ABS]], suggests that as of 2025, 75 per cent of Australians believe multiculturalism is good for Australia.
Senior Deputy Chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia, Peter Doukas, says a monocultural Australia has never existed.
"Even during the White Australia policy, even during what we would describe as a time where it was far less pluralistic, Australia was always made up of many cultures, from First Nations people before settlement through to the colonial era through to federation. This is, this has never been a monocultural country, and for that reason, the historical inaccuracies and the divisive nature of what of what she was saying yesterday concern us."
Senator Hanson also took aim at transgender Australians, claiming that what she calls "the transgender ideology" is "infecting society".
"This transgender movement is a militant force right throughout society and must be confronted. I repeat, through a whole stack of government authorities which the average Australian knows nothing about because they are too busy getting on with their lives, this movement, like militant Islam, is everywhere and seeks to redefine humanity and biology."
ABS data shows that less than one per cent of Australians are trans or gender diverse and 81 per cent of Australians believe they deserve the same rights and protections as other Australians.
As well as vowing to sack Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody, Ms Hanson also called out the head of the Human Rights Commission, Hugh de Kretser.
Speaking to ABC Radio, Mr de Kretser says the speech was very worrying.
"That was a speech that really punched down on a lot of Australians when you look at attacks on the trans community, less than 1 per cent of our population, and a population group that has experienced extreme disadvantage and discrimination, including issues around safety and violence and harassment and bullying."]]
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young says the speech was deplorable and offered no real policy.
"What it showed me is Pauline Hanson is the same old Pauline Hanson she's always been. What was on display yesterday was a rambling Trumpian speech based on hate and fear, not on hope and ideas."
Advocates are also pushing back on Senator Hanson's position on paid parental leave, calling her views on the matter 'outdated'.
Asking why businesses should be forced to pay workers if they're not working, Ms Hanson says that when she raised children as a single mother working part time, she managed fine.
Campaign director for advocacy group The Parenthood, Tegan Gilchrist, says Ms Hanson was raising children in a very different time.
"'I managed' is a memory from Pauline Hanson, and it's not a policy. Pauline Hanson has been describing in Australia from when she raised her kids, and it's not the one that we're raising our kids in today. In an environment where cost of living is sky high and families are struggling."
Ms Hanson has also come under scrutiny for her statements about the press, with the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance calling her comments an assault on press freedom.
During the Press Club Address, when asked a question by Guardian journalist Sarah Martin, Ms Hanson called the reporter 'trashy', saying she would be banned from future events.
"Honestly, you never give up. I've never seen a person that's such um a trashy journalist, you know, and what you put out all the time. You've got this obsession with constantly trying to pull down myself, my party, or Mrs Rinehart whatever you do."
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie has told Channel 9 the leader's attitude could set a worrying precedent.
"You need to be able to face the media and the tough scrutiny... But I am concerned that One Nation also wants to pick and choose which media they take questions from. Who they like and don't like. That might be okay for Donald Trump to pick and choose which media he takes questions from, but it does not go well here in a democracy."
Pauline Hanson also vowed to abolish the SBS and make deep cuts to the ABC.
According to the 2026 Reuters Digital News Report, the Australian public ranks the SBS and ABC as their most trusted news sources.
But Ms Hanson claims the SBS, Australia's multicultural broadcaster, is no longer needed because of the internet.
Regarding the ABC, Ms Hanson argues that while regional and rural operations would continue to be taxpayer funded under One Nation, it would become a subscription only service in larger cities.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says public broadcasters have a vital role to play in Australia.
"I think that the idea that you just exclude media and abolish SBS is what they're talking about, and the ABC is, I think, I would hope that all media organisations come out and oppose that, because they should."
Opposition leader Angus Taylor also criticised the speech, telling the Today Show that Ms Hanson offered no credible policy plan.
"Oh, well, there wasn't enough detail to really comment on most of the most of the plan, because I don't see it. What we need is a credible plan. We need a pathway out of this, and that is what I am laying out every day. I know that's the hard road, I understand that's the hard road, but it's the road we must go on if we are to get our country back to where it needs to be. It's not enough to be angry. I can understand the anger, I do get it, but, but we have to have a credible plan."
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That story by Sydney Lang for SBS News, produced by (in language broadcaster) for SBS (language program)
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