Hanson defends White Australia Policy comments; armed driver arrested in Melbourne

Pauline Hanson has moved to justify her remarks about the White Australia Policy after the comments, made during a sit-down interview with convicted criminal Tommy Robinson, drew swift condemnation from across the political spectrum.

The One Nation leader appeared alongside Robinson — the British far-right activist jailed for contempt of court — in an interview that quickly circulated on social media and prompted calls for Hanson to explain herself. Critics argued that raising the historical policy, which formally barred non-European migration to Australia for much of the twentieth century, lent legitimacy to a discredited and racially discriminatory era of government.

Hanson pushed back against that characterisation, insisting her comments had been taken out of context and that open discussion of Australia's immigration history should not be conflated with endorsing past discrimination. She maintained that questions around national identity and border policy remain legitimate topics for debate, a position she has long championed throughout her decades in federal politics.

The episode has reignited debate over the boundaries of political speech in Australia and the responsibilities of elected officials when engaging with high-profile figures who hold extremist views. Several prominent politicians called on Hanson to distance herself more clearly from Robinson and the sentiments expressed during the interview.

The White Australia Policy, dismantled through a series of legislative reforms between the 1960s and 1970s, remains one of the most sensitive chapters in the nation's history. Historians and multicultural advocates warned that invoking the policy — even in a supposedly critical frame — risks normalising ideas that most Australians regard as anathema to the country's modern identity.

In a separate development, Victoria Police arrested a driver after a vehicle rammed into a fence in Melbourne's northern suburbs, with officers discovering the man was in possession of a firearm at the time of the incident.

Emergency services responded to the scene following reports of the crash, and the driver was taken into custody without further incident. Police confirmed the weapon was seized and the man would face charges relating to both the firearm and the collision. Investigators were working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether the driver had posed a broader threat to members of the public prior to the arrest.

No bystanders were reported injured as a result of the Melbourne crash, though the discovery of a gun in the vehicle prompted a swift response from specialist officers. Residents in the affected street were advised to remain indoors briefly while police secured the area.

Both stories are expected to generate further coverage in the coming days — Hanson's comments as parliament returns its attention to immigration and social cohesion debates, and the Melbourne arrest as charges are formally laid.