Australian One Nation leader Pauline Hanson proposes sending critics to an island

One Nation senator Pauline Hanson suggested on The Liz Truss Show that political opponents such as the Greens and independent MPs be rounded up and sent to an island, saying “Here, go and do what you want to do over there. Leave us alone.” Liz Truss laughed and remarked, “Didn’t we try that with Australia in the first place?”

During the same interview Hanson said she will not enter a formal coalition with the Liberal or National parties and wants One Nation to stay “totally independent.” She also called for Australia to withdraw from the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, stating she “doesn’t care about those people,” and advocated a major reduction of the federal public service, which she claimed has swollen to about 216,000 employees.

Hanson’s remarks came amid a series of meetings with British conservative commentators, including a visit to activist Tommy Robinson, whom she described as “brave.” The proposals have sparked controversy and drawn criticism from political opponents and observers.