Pauline Hanson loses Federal Court appeal after breaching Racial Discrimination Act

A court has once again found One Nation leader Pauline Hanson breached the Racial Discrimination Act when she lashed out at a Greens senator, telling her to “piss off back to Pakistan”.

Senator Hanson breached the Racial Discrimination Act when she tweeted Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi in September 2022 on the day Queen Elizabeth II died, Judge Angus Stewart found back in November 2024.

Just a few weeks after the decision was handed down, Senator Hanson appealed with the Federal Court.

On Monday, following a three-day hearing late last year, the court once again found that Senator Hanson had breached the Racial Discrimination Act, and her appeal was thrown out.

In the hours following Queen Elizabeth’s death, Senator Faruqi lashed the “racist empire” of the British monarchy following a tweet from Greens Leader Adam Bandt, who said it was time for Australia to become a republic.

In the landmark decision last year, Senator Faruqi argued that Senator Hanson’s tweet contravened section 18C of the Act by targeting her as a migrant, person of colour and Muslim.

The section makes it unlawful to publicly engage in conduct that is likely to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” based on race, colour or national or ethnic origin.

In her original post, Senator Faruqi shared her condolences to those who mourn the Queen, but added she could not mourn the “leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised people”.

A few hours later, in response, Senator Hanson said Faruqi’s attitude “appals and disgusts” her.

“When you immigrated to Australia you took every advantage of this country. You took citizenship, bought multiple homes, and a job in a parliament,” she said at the time.

“It’s clear you’re not happy, so pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan.”

More to come.