Pauline Hanson Fails to Properly Declare Additional Free Flights from Gina Rinehart
One Nation senator Pauline Hanson has once again failed to properly declare free flights gifted by mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, this time through Rinehart's agricultural company, S Kidman and Co. Hanson updated her register of interests on Tuesday to include multiple flights from last year, following questions from Guardian Australia regarding a flight from Tamworth to Brisbane on December 8.
Details of the Undeclared Flights
The declaration covered the Tamworth to Brisbane flight, as well as two other flights for the News Corp bush summit in August. Hanson traveled from Brisbane to Toowoomba on August 24 and from Toowoomba to Canberra the next day. This brings the total to five private flights from Rinehart's companies that Hanson did not declare in line with Senate rules until prompted by media scrutiny.
The undeclared Tamworth to Brisbane flight occurred on the same day former Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce announced his defection to One Nation. Hanson and Joyce made the announcement on Tamworth radio, pledging to hold both Labor and the opposition accountable. Flight-tracking data shows a Pilatus PC-12 registered to Kidman and Co departed Tamworth airport at 10:30 PM on December 8, landing in Brisbane an hour later.
Senate Rules and Potential Consequences
Under Senate regulations, any sponsored hospitality, travel, or gift valued over $300 must be declared to the Senate registrar within 35 days. Failure to do so knowingly is considered a serious contempt of the Senate, which could lead to referral to the Privileges Committee for inquiry. However, Hanson's office refused to provide an explanation for the missed disclosures and did not respond to Guardian inquiries.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hanson's register was further updated to include flights for the South Australian election campaign, traveling from Brisbane to regional centers. The disclosure included a note expressing gratitude to S. Kidman CEO Adam Giles and a comment about flights not welcoming her to her own country, a reference to previous controversies.
Additional Disclosures and Contradictory Statements
NSW One Nation senator Sean Bell also updated his register to declare he was on the same Tamworth to Brisbane flight on December 8. Hanson has made contradictory statements about Rinehart's support; in February, she denied being funded by Rinehart but earlier in a podcast said Rinehart is "very much behind me," appreciating the support as a break from struggling with fundraising.
Guardian Australia previously revealed in December that Hanson and her chief of staff, James Ashby, received undeclared flights from Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting to Florida, where they stayed at Rinehart's $66 million Palm Beach mansion. Ashby later claimed no money was received from Rinehart. In February, it was also disclosed that Hanson flew on Rinehart's Gulfstream G700 from Melbourne to Sydney after an event in October, while billing taxpayers nearly $9,000 for a chartered plane due to lack of commercial options.
This pattern of undeclared flights raises questions about transparency and adherence to political donation rules in Australia, highlighting ongoing scrutiny of Hanson's ties to billionaire backers.
