Pauline Hanson has stepped up her attack on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s late mother for living in public housing for decades.
Anthony Albanese grew up in social housing in Camperdown in Sydney’s west, where his mother, Marianne, lived on a disability pension from chronic arthritis until her death from a brain aneurysm in 2002 at the age of 65.
He spoke openly about his mother’s lengthy stay in hospital, saying she was “staying behind” due to cuts to health funding and feared their council home would be taken away from her.
In February, Pauline Hanson slammed the Prime Minister’s comments about his past, taking aim at his mother and the fact that she lived in housing commission housing for decades.
“There shouldn’t be housing estates where people live in them for 30, 40 (years) – and he said his mother lived in the same house where she was born for 65 years,” she told The Karl Stefanovich Show.
“Sorry, this is not included for me. This should be limited in time; you have been given a hand, pass it on to the next one who comes by.”
The One Nation leader, who pretended to cry while mimicking Albanese’s claim that he grew up in council housing, then escalated her comments on Friday.
“The Prime Minister is complaining about his upbringing at the Housing Commission,” she told The Australian.
Pauline Hanson pretended to cry while imitating Anthony Albanese’s claim that he grew up in council housing during an appearance on The Karl Stefanovic Show.
Anthony Albanese grew up in social housing in Camperdown in Sydney’s inner west, where his mother, Marianne, lived on a disability pension from chronic arthritis until her death.
In February, Hanson criticized the Prime Minister’s comments about his past, taking aim at the fact that his mother lived on a housing commission for decades.
“How does he compare this to Australians being forced to live in cars and tents due to the large number of immigrants in his government?”
During the interview, Hanson said she grew up on the street where the Housing Authority is located.
“It was a helping hand for these people, but they had a job. And they worked,” she added.
Hanson’s comments drew a furious response from Energy Secretary Chris Bowen when asked about her appearance on Stefanovic’s stage on Saturday.
“Some things are prohibited. Attacking a woman who died more than 20 years ago because she lived in public housing is prohibited,” he said.
“For God’s sake, there is a line and Pauline Hanson regularly crosses it. This is an outrageous attack on a woman who is not here to make her point.
“The Prime Minister’s mom died over 20 years ago, so don’t bring the Prime Minister’s mom into this. Keep families away from this.”
Bowen then said her comments about Albanese’s mother reflected her views on Australians living in public housing.
Hanson’s comments prompted a furious response from Energy Secretary Chris Bowen.
“Pauline Hanson is pretending to be a fighter’s girlfriend and all the fighters are living in public housing all over Australia,” he said.
“She just told you that she’s thinking about you if you’ve been living in public housing for a long time.” She thinks you shouldn’t be there.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Prime Minister’s Office for comment.
In 2021, Albanese wrote a tribute to his mother, recounting her struggles, including how rheumatoid arthritis damaged her joints and left her unable to work.
“She lived on a disability pension… Life was not easy, and her health made the situation even more difficult, but we managed thanks to her,” – he said.
“We lived in council housing, which gave us a sense of security and stability. This was our home. The truth is that Mum was left behind – by people who didn’t count her and by governments who cut support.
“The cuts that happened during Mum’s lifetime meant she had to justify the support she received. When healthcare funding was cut, the quality of mom’s care also deteriorated.
“And when they tried to sell our council house, it felt like our house had been taken away from us.”
Bowen said politicians’ families were “banned” from debates. Pictured is Anthony Albanese and his mother Marianne Teresa Albanese.
Hanson’s comments about Albanese come after a media storm over her party’s criticism of Liberal leader and former SAS member Andrew Hastie.
A satirical cartoon on Hanson’s social media account repeatedly called Hastie a traitor, which he called a “massive insult” to veterans across the country.
Tensions between Hastie and Hanson arose over his evidence during the libel trial of accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith, with whom Hastie served in the SAS.
Members of the Liberals, Labor and Greens, as well as independent politicians, spoke out against the cartoon and Bowen took the opportunity to further criticize One Nation on Saturday.
“Is there anyone Pauline Hanson wouldn’t attack?” “This week she attacked Andrew Hastie, a decorated war veteran,” he said.
“Obviously I have a lot of disagreements with Andrew Hastie, but I respect his service to our country. He should not be attacked in this way.”
The Energy Secretary used his defense of Hastie to take aim at One Nation’s ongoing exclusion of some media outlets, including the ABC.
“Ultimately, Andrew Hastie showed courage by going to Afghanistan in uniform,” Bowen said.
“Pauline Hanson doesn’t have the courage to stand in front of a TV camera if an ABC journalist is present. So Pauline Hanson has no right to lecture anyone about bravery or our country.”
– READ MORE: Angry Liberal Andrew Hastie declares war on Pauline Hanson as he claims he’s been called a traitor: ‘Lying cowards’
– READ MORE: Anthony Albanese shares public housing photo with his single mother in an attempt to PROVE he knows how hard life can be for the average Joe