Pauline Hanson will take to the skies in her own private plane after $2m in donations.
“BREAKING NEWS – I’ve got a new plane, Sarah,” the One Nation leader said in a social media post on Wednesday.
“Yes it was donated. Yes I’m super happy. Yes it’s fast. Yes it’s amazing.
“Yes it means I can visit more regional towns across the country more often.”
Senator Hanson described the aircraft – a Cirrus G7 that can retail for as much $2m – as “sexy” and said she would not be doing “welcome to country each (time) we land”.
She thanked stockbrokers and “patriotic Australians” Angus and Sarah Aitken for their “enormous” $1m “investment”.
Senator Hanson said Adam Giles and geologist Ian Plimer, the latter who claims climate models focus too much on the impact of carbon dioxide, donated $500,000 each – both men are employed by mining magnate Gina Rinehart.
“Their faith and investment in One Nation is an enormous help towards our next federal campaign and I can’t thank them enough,” she said.
“We have a lot of additional fundraising to undertake between now and the cut-off in December to combat the uni-party ahead of the 2028 federal election.”
Senator Hanson has faced criticism over her repeated use of mining magnate Gina Rinehart’s private jet.
The Guardian alleged Senator Hanson had failed to declare five flights in less than six months.
Senator Hanson singled out the publication in her Wednesday statement, writing: “Yes it’s going to annoy the Guardian.”
‘One Nation dance to Gina Rinehart’s tune’
Later, Treasurer Jim Chalmers took a swipe at Senator Hanson after being asked about her newly acquired jet.
“I think Pauline Hanson is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gina Rinehart,” he told reporters in Brisbane.
“We know this because whenever Pauline Hanson is asked to vote in the interest of Australian workers, she instead votes in the interest of Gina Rinehart.”
He claimed One Nation had repeatedly prioritised the interests of its billionaire backer instead of hardworking Australians when it came to voting on issues like industrial relations or cost-of-living relief.
“I don’t think it’s a big surprise to see this very close relationship between One Nation and Gina Rinehart,” Mr Chalmers said.
“Gina Rinehart has got an agenda she has flagged before. She’s flagged things like getting rid of the minimum wage … And we’ve seen pretty frequently One Nation dance to Gina Rinehart’s tune.”
