Australian senator faces backlash after linking Muslims to welfare abuse 

CANBERRA, Australia (MNTV) – Australian Senator Pauline Hanson has come under renewed scrutiny after making a series of controversial remarks about Muslims, migration, and multiculturalism during a podcast interview with British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, triggering accusations of racism and Islamophobia from political opponents, multiple media outlets reported.

The One Nation leader appeared on Robinson’s podcast during a recent visit to the United Kingdom, where the pair discussed immigration, welfare, and Australia’s changing demographics. 

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has a long history of anti-Muslim activism and criminal convictions, including offenses related to assault, fraud, and contempt of court.

During the interview, Hanson blamed the dismantling of Australia’s White Australia policy for what she described as the country’s migration problems.

Asked by Robinson how Australia had ended up with large migrant communities from countries including Pakistan and Somalia, Hanson argued that the turning point came in 1973 when the Whitlam government removed the final discriminatory elements of the White Australia policy.

She said it started in 1973 when Gough Whitlam “opened up and got rid of the White Australia policy,” Hanson said, arguing that earlier European migrants had integrated successfully while later arrivals had not done so to the same extent.

The White Australia policy refers to a series of laws and administrative measures introduced after Australia’s federation in 1901 to restrict non-European immigration and maintain a predominantly white population. The policy was gradually dismantled after World War II and formally ended in 1973.

Hanson also alleged that many migrants were coming to Australia primarily to access welfare benefits, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Australia’s flagship disability support program.

She claimed that some communities were exploiting the system and suggested Muslim-majority neighborhoods were among those involved.

Robinson asked Hanson about the backgrounds of people receiving disability payments. Hanson responded that it was “quite known” that many people in Muslim areas were receiving benefits improperly, although she added that Australians from other backgrounds were also abusing the system.

The comments were quickly challenged by federal Health and Disability Minister Mark Butler, who said he had never received official advice supporting Hanson’s claims.

“I’m not sure where Ms Hanson is getting her figures from, but they’ve never been provided to me as the minister for disabilities and the minister for the NDIS,” Butler said. “I suspect they don’t exist.”

The interview also included remarks about Australia’s Muslim population. When Robinson suggested that Muslim population growth was being driven by higher birth rates, Hanson responded by claiming that Muslims have children because “the Koran says Allah will provide.”

The comments drew immediate criticism from political leaders and advocacy groups, who argued they reinforced harmful stereotypes about Muslim Australians.

Australian Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi accused Hanson of promoting racism and Islamophobia while attempting to divide communities for political gain. “Pauline Hanson’s sit-down interview with convicted criminal and professional hate monger Tommy Robinson is the latest in a decades-long career of spreading the same hate-filled message,” Faruqi said in a statement.

She described Hanson’s references to a “White Australia” and her comments about Muslims and migrants as “disgusting, blatant racism,” warning that such rhetoric had real-world consequences for targeted communities.

“This hate doesn’t exist in headlines or in a vacuum,” Faruqi said. “It has a material impact on targeted communities.”