Why Hastie v Hanson has become a defining moment for One Nation … and the Coalition

September 12, 2026 — 5:00am

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On the face of it, Andrew Hastie’s confrontation with Pauline Hanson is an entertaining personal dispute over an animated cartoon. But it runs much deeper. This week it arrived as a stark test of Australian politics. Unexpectedly, it’s also presenting a clarifying moment for Australian society.

First principles here. Why would One Nation bother taunting the Liberal frontbencher as a “traitor” in a cartoon spoof?

Hanson repeatedly has said that she wants the Liberals and Nationals to co-operate with her to get rid of the Labor government: “Work with me,” she has urged. So why on earth complicate the effort by insulting Hastie, the Liberal leader in waiting?

Her reasons are twofold. First, because Gina Rinehart wants her to. The iron ore heiress worships the war-hero-turned-accused-war-criminal Ben Roberts-Smith. In her persona as a defender of Roberts-Smith, the pro-Trump billionaire has positioned herself as an opponent of Hastie.

Because Andrew Hastie, together with 20 other former soldiers of the elite Special Air Services, was called to give evidence about Roberts-Smith’s conduct during a defamation trial. It was a trial that Roberts-Smith had initiated in an effort to sue The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age for reporting allegations that he had murdered unarmed Afghans.

Hastie, who reached the rank of captain before leaving the military, was subpoenaed to appear before the court and gave evidence against Roberts-Smith in 2022. The trial judge found Hastie to be an honest witness. By contrast, he ruled that Roberts-Smith was not honest. Justice Anthony Besanko ruled that, on the balance of probabilities, Roberts-Smith had committed or was complicit in the murder of four unarmed Afghans. That was a civil trial; a criminal trial of Roberts-Smith for five war crimes is pending.

Hastie didn’t realise he had incurred the wrath of Rinehart until later. The call came when he was driving to a Liberal Party fundraiser one evening in the approach to the 2022 federal election. He was doing a favour for Rick Wilson, then, as now, the Liberal member for the federal seat of O’Connor. Hastie was the assistant minister for defence at the time. As the ranking party member at the fundraiser, he was expected to give a speech of support for Wilson.

But an apologetic Wilson phoned to tell Hastie that he was passing on a message: Hastie........

© The Age