Joyce Backs Hanson on Deportations, Denies White Australia Policy Support

Barnaby Joyce asserted on July 20, 2026, that Pauline Hanson does not advocate for the White Australia policy, despite recent controversies surrounding her statements. Joyce, however, expressed his support for Hanson's stance on "mass deportations" of individuals who have overstayed their visas. This clarification comes after Hanson and her One Nation colleagues spent several days addressing remarks made during the One Nation leader's European trip.

These remarks included an interview on a podcast hosted by Tommy Robinson, a convicted criminal with far-right associations. Hanson also attended a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show and was seen relaxing by a hotel pool in Italy with mining magnate Gina Rinehart. Lee Hanson, Pauline Hanson's daughter, claimed that her mother's comments on the Tommy Robinson podcast were "misinterpreted" by the public and media.

The political maneuvering follows a period of intense scrutiny for One Nation, particularly after Hanson's appearance on Robinson's podcast. While Joyce distanced Hanson from the historical White Australia policy, a policy that enforced immigration restrictions against non-European people, he aligned himself with her more recent position on immigration enforcement concerning visa overstays. The exact details of the "mass deportations" Hanson supports were not specified in the report.