Court Upholds Ruling Against Pauline Hanson for Racial Discrimination

In a decisive move that has rippled through Australian politics, the Federal Court held that former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson breached the Racial Discrimination Act when she responded to Senator Mehreen Faruqi with a “go back” tweet in July 2022.

Justice Melissa Perry, writing on Monday, rejected Hanson’s appeal that political speech should be automatically protected. The judge affirmed that the tweet was an “anti‑Muslim” attack that was “likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” and ordered the post removed and legal fees paid to Faruqi.

“You are telling a Muslim senator to go back to her country,” Faruqi said outside the courthouse. “Hate speech is not free speech,” she added, underscoring a broader demand for accountability against systemic racism.

The case comes in the wake of earlier criticism of Hanson’s support for a “Muslim ban” and her comments on “no good Muslims.” She has since warned she will appeal to the High Court, though the fourth‑tier decision remains standing.

The ruling marks the first major legal setback for Hanson’s controversial platform and signals a sharpened stance against racially charged political rhetoric.