Pauline Hanson challenges Racial Discrimination Act in High Court

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is launching a constitutional challenge to the Racial Discrimination Act in the High Court. This move follows a ruling that her social media comments toward Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi constituted racial discrimination.

The dispute stems from a post in which Hanson told Faruqi to “piss off back to Pakistan”. In November 2024, a judgment found Hanson had breached section 18C of the Act, which prohibits actions that offend, insult, humiliate, or intimidate individuals based on race or national origin. Hanson lost an appeal against this decision in July.

Hanson stated her High Court challenge is intended to protect freedom of speech, arguing that the current law silences Australians on sensitive topics such as immigration, religion, and Indigenous policy. She noted that while the Full Federal Court acknowledged her comments were close to protected political communication, the law was still upheld despite casting a wide net.