The One Nation leader has rejected any association with the Ku Klux Klan and criticised federal funding for Nine. The network says the reference to Hanson was raised unprompted and denies endorsing the comparison.
By the online editorial team
Pauline Hanson has attacked Nine and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over government journalism grants following the broadcast of comments about her by a Ku Klux Klan leader.
The One Nation senator emphatically denied any association with the white supremacist organisation, accusing the broadcaster of reviving a comparison she said sections of the media had pursued for almost three decades.
Appearing on Paul Murray’s News24 programme, Hanson displayed a handbag bearing the words “Fake News” before criticising the coverage.
“It’s an absolute bloody joke. There’s no association whatsoever,” she said.
The dispute centres on an interview with KKK leader Thom Robb conducted by Nine journalist Reid Butler for a documentary about political and racial divisions in the United States. Robb compared criticism of Hanson with criticism of his own organisation and welcomed her political success.
Hanson rejected those comments and questioned Nine’s decision to broadcast them. She also accused Albanese of providing taxpayer support to a media company producing what she described as “rubbish”.
Her criticism focused on approximately $16.1 million awarded through the Journalism Assistance Fund to companies within the Nine group. The total comprises about $8.16 million for Fairfax Media and $7.96 million for Nine Entertainment Co.
The federal government describes the fund as a $67.6 million programme contributing to journalists’ wage costs. It supports more than 2,000 journalists across 185 successful applicants, with funding covering the three financial years from 2025–26 to 2027–28. The grant figures alone do not establish that the money financed the documentary or Butler’s trip to Arkansas.
Nine has defended its editorial decision and disputed Hanson’s characterisation of the interview.
National News Director Hugh Nailon said Robb first raised Hanson and One Nation without prompting. He said the reference was neither initiated nor solicited by Butler or 9News, and denied that broadcasting the comments amounted to endorsing the comparison.
Hanson’s daughter, Lee Hanson, also condemned the coverage, saying praise from a KKK leader was repulsive and expressing concern about the potential consequences for her family’s safety.
The exchange has therefore produced two distinct disputes: one over the treatment of Robb’s comments in the documentary, and another over the public funding received by the media group.
Hanson used the interview to broaden her criticism of the Albanese government, pointing to financial pressure on regional communities following a visit to Wagga Wagga. She said Australians were struggling and called for major political change.
She also reiterated her ambition to replace Albanese as prime minister at the next election.
“I’m telling people I’m going to go for it,” Hanson said. “We have to have a huge change in this country.”
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