THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CANNING

TRANSCRIPT
INTERVIEW WITH HAMISH MACDONALD, ABC RADIO SYDNEY MORNINGS

Monday 14 September 2026 

Topics: One Nation; immigration.

E&OE……………………………………

HAMISH MACDONALD: Andrew Hastie is the Shadow Minister for Industry and Sovereign Capability. Good morning to you.

ANDREW HASTIE: Good morning, Hamish.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Should Pauline Hanson apologise to the Prime Minister?

ANDREW HASTIE: Yes, she should. I think this MAGA-fication of Australian politics is toxic and nasty, and it looks like she's copying directly from the Donald Trump playbook. But Australians won't put up with it, and families are off limits when it comes to politics. I'm an elected member of the House of Representatives – my policy positions and my character and behaviour can be questioned and even called out by other Members of Parliament. But you do not go after family members, particularly those who are deceased and the Prime Minister's late mother is not a target for Pauline Hanson.

HAMISH MACDONALD: But some politicians use their backstories, their families, to sell political messages. Does that then make them open to this sort of critique?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, everyone comes to Parliament with their own story. That's the beauty of Australia – we're a very diverse people, and I think it's appropriate that people understand the shaping influences on our lives. In the Prime Minister's case, his mother had a very big shaping influence on his life. That does not mean she should be the target of a political attack by Pauline Hanson.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Have you had an apology yet from Pauline Hanson, or any contact from her?

ANDREW HASTIE: No. Barnaby Joyce has reached out to me last week. He explained his position. He explained that he didn't know about the cartoon when he went out and defended Pauline Hanson. He apologised, and I accept that. I think that shows Barnaby Joyce to be a man of character. Pauline Hanson, on the other hand, has doubled down. She's refused to take the cartoon down, and I think that shows why she's unfit to be prime minister of this country. That's what she ultimately wants to be, and I think it's really important that the Australian people – that mums and dads, seniors and young people – understand what type of a person she is.

HAMISH MACDONALD: I get the sense, though – forgive me if I'm wrong – that you don't particularly care what Pauline Hanson thinks anyway. Why does it matter to you to get an apology?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, it's not so much about me – I've got a pretty tough skin after 11 years in politics. But it's all the veterans out there who are concerned about this particularly. But moreover, more than 20 SAS combat veterans who were called to give evidence under oath in the Federal Court several years ago, who now are affected by the slur. And the question for Pauline Hanson, which he refuses to answer, is: are they also traitors? They served their country. They did their duty when they came home. They gave evidence under oath. Are they also traitors? She refuses to answer the question.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Barnaby Joyce has been out again this morning defending Pauline Hanson's comments, particularly in relation to the Prime Minister. This is what he had to say on Sunrise about people staying in public housing forever – that's sort of the descriptor that's been put on this.

*EXCERPT PLAYS*

What do you make of that, Andrew Hastie?

ANDREW HASTIE: I feel sorry for Barnaby Joyce. He left the party that made him deputy prime minister twice. He joined in with Pauline Hanson and One Nation, and now he's getting up every morning having to defend her nasty attacks. We don't know about the Prime Minister's personal circumstances, nor his mother's, so you just don't comment because you don't know, and that's the problem here. She should not have referenced the Prime Minister's mother and then turned it into a political attack.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Two members of One Nation sit in the lower house, Barnaby Joyce, David Farley, the new MP for Farrer. Do you think that they are comfortable with the position that One Nation takes via the commentary of its leader, Pauline Hanson?

ANDREW HASTIE: I don't think so. I think Barnaby Joyce is fundamentally a decent person, and David Farley is also a decent person. And I don't think I've ever really seen from them the nasty personal attacks that we see from Pauline Hanson. So, I can imagine it would be very difficult for them, and I think that's why James Ashby has them in witness protection. It'll be interesting to see who comes out to talk about immigration today. Will Pauline Hanson do it? I'm not sure. She posted a pre-recorded video on Facebook today. Will Barnaby Joyce come out? Will David Farley? Let's see.

HAMISH MACDONALD: We did invite Pauline Hanson to come back on the program this morning to talk to you again. Her office is yet to get back to us. Andrew Hastie is here. I do want to ask your views on One Nation's announcements regarding its migration policy. As you say, a formal announcement is yet to come, but very significant cuts-a quarter of a million people over three years. I know mass migration is something that you have spoken about before. Do you agree with these policies?

ANDREW HASTIE: I agree that migration needs to be cut. I think Australians across the country, whether in Mandurah or Sydney, Melbourne, or up in Brisbane, migration has been too high under this Labor government. They've lost control of our borders, and people want to see action. The question is: what's the right level of migration? Our policy is to cut migration below the level of housing completions every year. Last year there was about 170,000 homes built, so our net overseas migration figure will be below that. We're working through the policy now, and there are all sorts of complications that you have to work through with migration. And so I want to see Pauline Hanson come out today – in the flesh, live – and explain the economic, the budgetary, and the human impacts of her policy. Because if you want to be prime minister, you've got to be across the detail, you've got to demonstrate agility, and you've got to be able to answer the questions put to you by the press.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Are you saying that because you think she may not?

ANDREW HASTIE: Yeah, I bet she won't.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Really?

ANDREW HASTIE: Yeah, that's right. Where is she? This is a big policy. Where is she? She should be fronting up to the press gallery and talking about her migration cuts. This is a huge policy. Let's hear from her direct.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Andrew Hastie is here on 702 Mornings. It's just after 20 minutes to nine. Can you help listeners understand why you have become a target of One Nation? Clearly, a lot of press over the weekend suggested this is because of Pauline Hanson's links with Gina Rinehart that she's taken a particular view of you. I'm not asking you to explain Gina Rinehart's position, but can you explain your understanding of the dynamics at play here?

ANDREW HASTIE: I was called in 2022 under subpoena to give evidence in the Federal Court in the case between Ben Roberts-Smith and Nine Media. I went to the court; I gave evidence under oath. Justice Besanko, the presiding judge, said in his ruling that I was a straightforward witness. Then from about April this year, I've been under sustained attack from One Nation and its online surrogates – very personal, very nasty attacks. So bad, in fact, that I was called by the Home Affairs Minister to tell me that I'd been identified for upgrades for security for my home and my office. This has been a long time coming and then when they published that cartoon and called me a traitor eight times, I thought enough is enough. These people think that I'm weak – I'm not. I'm going to fight back. But I'm actually fighting back for the veterans who don't have a voice. And I would remind all your listeners that the RSL Australia came out over the weekend and condemned what Pauline Hanson had done – calling people in uniform traitors.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Pauline Hanson says that One Nation is coming for seats here in Sydney. You're talking to listeners across Sydney, Central Coast, Illawarra, Southern Islands this morning. What's your message to them?

ANDREW HASTIE: I think they should think very carefully about what she says and what she does. Australia is facing a once in a generation cost of living crisis. We're seeing the rise of AI, and it's posing huge economic and strategic challenges for Australia. And in 18 months' time, they have to decide who they want as their national leader. Pauline Hanson thinks she can be prime minister, and I think the evidence is showing now that she's not up to the job. When she's put under pressure, she retreats into childish cartoons, and she doesn't have the answers for these massive economic and strategic challenges, which will affect mums and dads, seniors, and young Australians across this country. We need a plan for our country; we need a positive vision. Our vision is to cut taxes, get cheaper energy, cut migration, build more homes, and use windfall profits from the resources sector to build our nation. Whether it's more ports, more roads, more rail, invest in sovereign AI to give us our own capability, so that we won't be held ransom to by other countries – all these things are really, really important, and I don't think Pauline Hanson has a vision for our country.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Do you want to lead our country?

ANDREW HASTIE: I certainly was considering it back in January and February, and I didn't have the support of my party room, and that's why I've swung in behind Angus Taylor. I think Angus Taylor is doing an excellent job. We're doing a lot of policy work together, and I'm confident that we can beat Anthony Albanese at the next election.

HAMISH MACDONALD: One day, be the Leader?

ANDREW HASTIE: Look, I wouldn't lie if I didn't want to lead the party one day, but the party has made a choice, and we're all locked in behind Angus Taylor all the way through to the next election.

HAMISH MACDONALD: Andrew Hastie, thanks for your time this morning.

ANDREW HASTIE: Thanks, Hamish.

[ENDS]