Culture

Pauline Hanson Wants To Refer Her Fellow One Nation Senator To The High Court

"That thud you just heard is a Senator being thrown under a large, speeding bus by his own leader."

by Osman Faruqi  7 November 2016

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Ever since Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party scored four Senate seats at the last federal election people have been wondering how long they can hold the show together. Would they consolidate and grow, like the Greens? Or would they combust, tearing each other apart like the Palmer United Party (RIP)?

It looks like we might have an answer and it’s all due to a very messy squabble over whether One Nation’s senator for WA, Rod Culleton, was actually eligible to stand for election.

Section 44 of the Australian Constitution lists a whole bunch of things that can make someone ineligible to stand for federal parliament. It includes things like having an “adherence to a foreign power”, being “attainted of treason” or being convicted of a crime that carries a minimum jail sentence of one year or more. It’s that last point has gotten Culleton into strife.

In March this year Culleton was convicted of larceny after he stole the keys of a tow-truck. Yeah, as far as crimes go it was an incredibly weird one. The conviction was later annulled but it was still standing at the time of the federal election, in July, so there’s a serious question floating around as to whether or not Culleton was eligible to stand.

The government announced in October it was going to refer the matter to the High Court. In response to that announcement Culleton held a bizarre and confusing press conference.


“I’m not sure whether I’m gonna participate in any High Court jurisdiction and if I do I’ll simply go down, shear a sheep and take the belly fleece and stick it over my head and represent myself,” he said.

Today in parliament the Senate discussed the motion from the government to formally refer Culleton to the High Court. It was supported by Labor and the Greens before the One Nation senator stood up to defend himself.

He argued that “vested interests” were out to get him, accused the High Court of bias and demanded a jury trial. It was a fiery, passionate and completely nonsensical defence. Immediately after Culleton’s speech, Pauline Hanson dropped a bombshell.

Hanson said that while she supported Culleton, she believe he should be referred to the High Court, acknowledging that her colleague wouldn’t be too happy with her stand.

The thing is, the government didn’t need Hanson’s support for the motion. They already had the numbers in the bag. Her decision is purely political, designed to distance herself from her potentially ineligible senator. It was a pretty brutal and very surprising manoeuvre.

If Culleton is ruled ineligible by the High Court he’ll be tossed out of parliament. That will be embarrassing for Hanson, but since he’ll probably be replaced by another One Nation senator it’s unlikely to have much of an impact. But if it’s found that he was elected properly, it could make One Nation party room meetings really bloody awkward.