One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has apologised after a cartoon shared on her social media accounts mocked Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie over a serious medical condition.
The cartoon referred to a vaginal and bladder prolapse Lambie suffered earlier in 2026, a condition linked to her service in the Australian military.
Hanson had initially dismissed criticism. Asked about the cartoon on Monday, she said, “Get over it, okay? It is actually satirical,” and had earlier told Lambie to “lighten up” over the video.
By Tuesday, however, Hanson had reversed course. She said she had not watched the video before it was posted and did not know what it contained.
“I have spoken to the creator of that video. I’ve asked him to actually change it, and I respect people’s views and opinions out there, and it wasn’t as tastefully done as it could have been, and I do apologise for that,” she told News24.
She also said she would scrutinise the cartoon series more closely from now on. “It does bear my name, and I’ve got to take responsibility for that,” she said.
The series is created by Mark Nicholson, a One Nation candidate for the Victorian election in November, and this is not the first time it has sparked controversy. Hanson had previously defended the cartoons after Liberal MP and former SAS soldier Andrew Hastie was labelled a “traitor”.
Hanson’s reversal came after independent MP Helen Haines was seriously injured in an alleged targeted attack in Wangaratta, Victoria, on Monday. Hanson said she was shocked by the attack, and blamed the decline in political discourse on state premiers and the prime minister for not stopping protest marches, as well as schools and universities for “brainwashing” students.
Independent MP Zali Steggall, a close friend and political ally of Haines, said Hanson’s remarks left her stunned.
“Those cartoons are despicable. They are revolting,” she told News24.
“This is a politician who has spread hate and division, who has led people in our communities to feel unsafe and targeted, from Asian Australians to Muslim Australians, and the rhetoric we just heard, I’m just quite shocked at that positioning.”
