Hanson feuds with media, concedes using party funds for luxury hotel

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has lashed out at Channel Seven, claiming the broadcaster pulled out of funding her travel expenses in the UK, and denied reports in this masthead that she left luxury hotel rooms in London empty while she travelled to Italy.

Hanson conceded on Friday a key claim, first reported in this masthead, that she used party funds to pay for a stay in a $900-a-night five-star hotel in London. The One Nation leader, who is ascendant in the polls, travelled to Europe on a 10-day “fact-finding” mission in July, during which she filmed a program with Seven’s Spotlight program.

During the trip Hanson sat down with far-right agitator and criminal Tommy Robinson, and appeared at CPAC GB, a conservative conference headlined by Nigel Farage.

Hanson admitted in a Facebook post on Friday morning that she used the party’s money, rather than her own funds, to pay for the luxury accommodation, but denied she had left rooms empty in London during a trip to Italy to meet mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.

The One Nation leader claimed that Seven pulled out of paying for the UK trip, obliging her to use party funds.

“Spotlight have been shady from day one. Original travel plans for the Spotlight episode were to be paid by Channel Seven. They pulled out forcing One Nation to cover all travel costs,” Hanson wrote.

A spokesperson for Channel Seven said the broadcaster did not pay for any travel expenses for One Nation.

“Seven paid for incidentals, including a vehicle used in the production process and a hotel room used for filming purposes as well as security to protect Seven staff while recording on UK streets, but no travel expenses for One Nation.”

Hanson’s attacks on Seven and this masthead cap off a week in which she on Monday barred The Age, the ABC and The Guardian from a Melbourne press conference where the party announced eight candidates for the November state election.

Stating that “mainstream media publish lies”, Hanson wrote that she provided Expedia invoices to news.com.au journalist Samantha Maiden to prove she cancelled her London accommodation while in Italy.

News.com.au reported Hanson had used interest generated from a $20 million donation pot to pay for the accommodation.

A screenshot of a partial invoice published by the outlet appears to show five days’ accommodation at the Conrad Saint James Hilton from July 15.

Hanson’s declaration of interests shows Rinehart paid for flights from London to Sicily via Rome on July 11 and return on July 16.

One Nation told news.com.au the hotel was booked for an extra day because it did not allow an early check-in, and it was needed for a late flight arrival.

The screenshot does not include the hotel name, Expedia branding, or the date the booking was made. It is also only for one room, not for the other staff who stayed at the time.

“I can confirm that while I was in Italy, accommodation in London was cancelled,” Hanson said on Facebook.

A source familiar with the trip told this masthead earlier this week Hanson left rooms vacant at the luxury London for days while she was in Italy with Rinehart, where she attended a Dolce and Gabbana fashion show.

Another source suggested the lavish trip had caused unease within One Nation because it was sitting on a fresh $5 million war chest from the viral Fire the Liar fundraising campaign, which had bolstered the party’s coffers off the back of ordinary Australians chipping in small amounts to campaign against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

This masthead sent questions to One Nation over several days about the London accommodation. One Nation did not answer the questions or provide invoices, and only stated that the Fire the Liar campaign money was kept separate in a trust.

Senator Sean Bell on Friday said he did not know how Hanson funded the trip, before saying it was not with the campaign donations.

“You’re asking me to speculate on something that I have no knowledge about,” Bell told News24 on Friday.

“That money that we’ve raised, for instance, with the Fire the Liar campaign, I know for a fact that that is cordoned off where it can only be used to campaign against this terrible Albanese Labor government. All the money that was sent to that is being used on that issue,” he said.

“I can assure people, and Senator Hanson assures people, when we go overseas, we do so making sure people get bang for their buck.

Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson had earlier accused Hanson of betraying her supporters.

“We have people who donate to her party from their limited savings, they’re struggling to get ahead, and now we find it’s going towards luxury hotel rooms in London, Dolce and Gabbana fashion shows,” Wilson told Nine’s Today.

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