A fiery exchange in the Senate has erupted into a full-blown political stoush, with Pauline Hanson refusing to retract an insult directed at Lidia Thorpe during a heated debate on US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The One Nation leader confirmed on Monday that she had called Senator Thorpe a “b*tch” on the floor of Parliament, but stopped short of apologising for the remark itself.
“I apologise if the public heard me call Senator Thorpe a b*tch, however I don’t take back what I said,” Senator Hanson said in a statement.
She accused Senator Thorpe of repeatedly heckling her during the debate, claiming the chamber had descended into “constant screaming and yelling”.
“The Senate chamber is meant to be a place for debate, not constant screaming and yelling over the top of senators like we see from Senator Thorpe,” she said. “If the weak Liberal chair won’t pull her up for screaming like a banshee, I will.”
A banshee is a female spirit from Irish folklore, known for wailing to forewarn of an impending death.
The confrontation began as Senator Hanson voiced her support for US-Israeli strikes on Iran and spoke about the plight of the Iranian people. During her remarks, Senator Thorpe repeatedly shouted “you’re lying”, prompting complaints from fellow One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts to the acting Senate President.
Although Senator Thorpe briefly stopped, interruptions resumed from the Greens benches, escalating tensions further.
A visibly frustrated Senator Hanson lashed out, branding the Greens “un-Australian”.
“The Greens are the most un-Australian people here in the Senate,” she said. “They do not fight for this country, our flag, our patriotism. Nothing.”
The exchange intensified when Senator Thorpe responded: “Oh sit down, sit down, sit down, you’re an absolute disgrace.”
After Senator Hanson resumed her seat, Senator Thorpe raised a point of order, accusing her of using the slur.
“She just called me a b,” Senator Thorpe shouted, before adding: “I just got called a b by the racist,” while pointing at Senator Hanson.
Senator Thorpe resigned from the Australian Greens in February 2023 following a disagreement over the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and now sits as an independent.
The clash marks the latest in a string of bitter exchanges in the upper house, underscoring deep divisions over foreign policy and domestic political fault lines.
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