Andrew Hastie has vowed to go “all the way” in his fight with Pauline Hanson, as he suggested One Nation MPs Barnaby Joyce and David Farley were likely feeling buyers’ remorse for joining the party.
The Liberal MP and former SAS captain repeated his accusation that Hanson was a “lying coward” on Sunday, after she continued to refuse to take down an animated cartoon that described Hastie as a “traitor”. This came after he was subpoenaed to give evidence during Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation trial.
“She’s still a lying coward. I’m not backing down,” Hastie told News۲۴ on Sunday. “I put the challenge to her. She could have accepted that she’d got it wrong and pulled it down, but she refused to do so, and she has doubled down.
“As I said to Barnaby in text, I will continue. Consider last week a demonstration. They haven’t seen anything yet.
“I’ll go all the way with One Nation if they want … she started a fight, and I intend to win it.”
He also said he had previously tried to develop a relationship with Hanson, but that she is “not the person I thought she was”.
Hastie accepted Joyce’s apology to him over the cartoon video on Friday, who claimed he had not seen it. But the Liberal MP claimed his colleague, and One Nation MP David Farley, were likely having “buyers’ remorse” over joining the party.
“The whole party centres on her. I think this is why Barnaby Joyce and I reckon David Farley are probably having buyers’ remorse. They’re thinking, what did I get myself into?” Hastie said.
“I’ll say this about Barnaby Joyce. I feel sorry for the bloke, all right? He left a party that made him deputy prime minister twice, to jump in with this rabble, there’s no principles, they’re all over the shop, and he’s out there every week cleaning up after them.”
Joyce told Guardian Australia the assumption was “not correct” and defended his party.
“My fear is that the Coalition tread water rather than find land, and lack the strength to make difficult decisions. Politics is not a beauty pageant nor a reality tv show and we get more and more of that,” Joyce said.
“I am in One Nation because I am deeply concerned that the political status quo has become lazy and then weak.”
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Farley has been approached for comment.
Hastie has been under attack from One Nation politically for several months, with the party announcing it would target his West Australian seat of Canning. The state seat of Secret Harbour, which One Nation won in a byelection last month, overlaps his federal electorate.
He said it was time to “draw a line in the sand” by pushing back against the video.
“Weakness is provocative,” he said. “People want strength. These guys thought I was weak.”
But the Liberal frontbencher, who has been touted as a leadership contender, also dismissed an accusation from Hanson that his fight against her was to bolster his leadership prospects.
“I think that’s ridiculous. Angus Taylor is the leader. I’ve supported him. Judge me by my actions, and I’ve shown loyalty to Angus since he became leader.”
