“Leave mums out of politics”: Hanson slammed as Albanese defends late mother

Anthony Albanese has hit back emotionally at Pauline Hanson after the One Nation leader criticised his late mother, Maryanne Albanese, prompting condemnation from across politics.

Responding on Sunday, the Prime Minister rejected any suggestion that he had ever complained about being raised in public housing and said he was proud of where he came from. “Firstly, (Senator Hanson) made comments about me complaining about growing up in public housing – nothing could be further from the truth,” he told reporters.

“I’m proud to be a houso and I’m proud of the community in which I grew up.

“I’m also proud about my mother. She was someone who had a tough life. She didn’t associate with billionaires.”

Maryanne Albanese spent much of her life in public housing in Sydney’s Inner West, where she brought up her son alone. They lived on her disability pension after severe rheumatoid arthritis crippled her joints. Mr Albanese has often spoken publicly about his mother and his difficult childhood.

The latest clash followed comments Senator Hanson made in an interview with broadcaster-turned-podcaster Karl Stefanovic earlier this year, which were unearthed by The Australian over the weekend. Dismissing Mr Albanese’s references to his upbringing as “pathetic”, she argued that people in the public housing street where she grew up “had jobs”.

“Housing commission houses should not be there for people to live in them for 30, 40 (years), and he said his mother lived in the same one she was born in for 65 years,” Senator Hanson told broadcaster-turned-podcaster Karl Stefanovic.

“Sorry, that is not on, to me – it should be limited time.

“You have been given a hand up, move it on to the next ones coming through.”

Mr Albanese defended his mother in deeply personal terms, saying she had endured hardship and carried herself with decency. His mother met his father on a cruise in Europe in the early 1960s. They had a short-lived romance and she fell pregnant, but the relationship ended because his father was already committed to another woman in Italy. She then returned to Australia and faced the stigma of having a child out of wedlock.

“She was compassionate, not uncaring. She was generous, not mean. And she was kind, not nasty,” Mr Albanese said, pointing to her belief that “there’s always someone worse off than yourself”.

“She never complained. She never denigrated anyone. She respected everyone. And I grew up in a community that looked after each other. It was the opposite of being elite.”

He said he could not understand how Senator Hanson could “attack someone and their character, who died in 2002, some 24 years ago, at age just 65”.

“Tell you what’s weakness? Nastiness, nastiness and spitefulness and I am stunned at these comments,” he said.

“If Pauline Hanson wants to criticise me then that’s fine, but my mother was way out of Pauline Hanson’s league, way out of it,” Mr Albanese said.

The remarks also drew criticism from Trade Minister Don Farrell, who said on Sunday that “attacking somebody’s mother … is appalling”. Speaking to News24, he said: “It was an appalling remark,” adding that “Anthony loves his mother”.

“I certainly loved my mother. To have them attacked publicly in this way is just appalling.

“There’s a certain bitterness in One Nation’s approach to the world that I find quite un-Australian”.

Senator Farrell said Senator Hanson should withdraw the comments and apologise. He noted that he “spent almost an hour with Pauline this week going through some of the issues that she’s concerned about”.

“She wants dignity and respect from her fellow parliamentarians – attacking the Prime Minister’s mother like this is not a way to get respect and dignity from your colleagues, and I think Pauline should reflect upon the attack on the Prime Minister’s mother and withdraw those comments and apologise,” Senator Farrell said.

“I don’t think there’s any other way forward for her over this issue.”

Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie also criticised Senator Hanson, saying mothers should be off-limits in politics. Speaking to the same broadcaster, he said the episode was “another indicator to the Australian people” that Senator Hanson was “not fit to be prime minister”.

“I reckon mums you leave out of politics,” Mr Hastie said.

“I’ve always tried to be respectful of Pauline.”