Past comments come back to haunt Robert Irwin amid his legal battle with Pauline Hanson over cartoon
Despite threatening legal action over his depiction in Pauline Hanson’s Please Explain cartoon series, Robert Irwin previously spoke about the importance of “laughing at yourself”.
Irwin’s comments made barely two years ago in a 2022 One Plus One interview with the ABC was revealed when the clip was played by entertainment reporter Peter Ford on The Morning Show on Tuesday.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Past comments return to haunt Robert Irwin amid cartoon controversy.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“It’s being able to laugh at yourself, it’s being able to go ‘that’s the fluff’ and the opinionated stuff — people will always have their point of view,” Irwin said, during the interview.
The clip has emerged amid the furore after Irwin’s likeness was featured alongside Bluey in a One Nation satirical cartoon titled The State of Queensland, referencing the pair’s appearance in the new Queensland tourism campaign.
In the show, Irwin and Bluey are booted from a beach over native title, their car is stolen by “juvenile delinquents”, and they wait six months for healthcare.
But so Hanson has so far resisted the demand.
“Pauline’s been quite adamant it’s not coming down and indeed it is still there. And every person you speak to who understands defamation, has said he’s not defamed in it,” Ford said.
“Just because you don’t like it or you don’t find it funny … that doesn’t make it defamation. Sometimes you just got to suck it up, so I don’t know where he’ll go with this. I’d be surprised if he takes it further.
“I think people would generally say unless they have you in your depiction as saying something horrible, which is completely against the person you are, then sure, go after them.
“But he’s not. He’s not even the butt of the joke.”
At the weekend, news broke Irwin was threatening to sue the politician.
“Your actions constitute defamation and involve the unauthorised and deceptive use of our client’s image,” Irwin’s lawyer Zoe Naylor alleged in a cease-and-desist letter to the studio that produced the cartoon.
Naylor demanded the video be removed from social media, threatening legal action if this was not done by 5pm on Monday, however on Tuesday morning the video remained active on the YouTube channel.
On X, Hanson doubled down on her position regarding the video, saying she would not take it down.
“I will not be removing the latest episode of Pauline Hanson’s Please Explain,” she said.
“I look forward to the day when Robert and I can have a good laugh over this and turn our focus to making Queensland a better state.”
Despite Hanson telling Irwin to “lighten up”, during the 1990s the One Nation senator famously took legal action to stop Triple J playing a satirical song about her created by the drag character Pauline Pantsdown.
