One Nation leader Pauline Hanson can challenge the ruling over her post about Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi. The court will examine discrimination law and political communication; permission to appeal does not overturn Faruqi’s victory.
Australia’s High Court granted Pauline Hanson special leave to appeal on 5 November 2026, allowing the One Nation leader to challenge a ruling that she racially discriminated against Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi. Special leave is permission for an appeal to be heard, not a decision on the appeal itself, so the ruling remains in place.
The Full Federal Court unanimously upheld the original judgment in July 2026. The High Court will examine whether Hanson’s comments breached the Racial Discrimination Act and whether the Federal Court decision impeded her implied freedom of speech, The Guardian said.
The dispute began after Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022. Faruqi posted that she could not mourn the leader of what she called a racist empire and called for a treaty, reparations and a republic. Hanson replied by telling Faruqi to “pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan.”
In November 2024, Justice Angus Stewart found Hanson’s post unlawful. He said it portrayed Faruqi as a “second-class citizen” who, as a migrant, should be grateful and keep quiet. He described the instruction to return to Pakistan as a racist trope.
Stewart rejected Hanson’s argument that Faruqi’s post justified her response. He also found Hanson’s post was not protected by the law’s fair-comment exemption because it was an “angry, personal attack.”
Australia’s implied freedom of political communication comes from an interpretation of its Constitution and limits the lawmaking powers of federal and state parliaments. It is not an express guarantee of unrestricted personal speech.
Hanson welcomed permission to appeal, saying the case was bigger than her and one tweet and that Australians must be able to speak their minds, question the government and disagree without being frightened into silence. Faruqi responded “Bring it on,” saying she would not back down and calling for the legal system to protect people targeted by racism and vilification. She said people of colour, migrants and Muslims deserved to feel safe in the place they call home.
The High Court will now hear Hanson’s appeal and decide whether the discrimination ruling should stand.
After the November 4 signing, a Syrian official confirmed that soldiers had been sent to Saudi Arabia for training, exchanges of expertise and military consultations.
3 min
The court sentenced the democracy activist on 5 November for conspiring to collude with foreign forces. The judge said 2 months and 2 days overlap with his existing term, adding nearly 9 years and 10 months in prison.
3 min
The Cheonghae naval unit’s planned mission will be restricted to open waters south of Oman, a ministry official said, as South Korea seeks to protect citizens and economic interests.
2 min
