Lee Hanson Steps Into Politics, But Not in Her Mother’s Shadow

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s daughter launches her Senate bid in Tasmania, vowing to chart her own path while upholding core party values.

One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson attends a barbeque in Buderim to meet local supporters and speak with media on the Sunshine Coast, Australia on September 21, 2017. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

A new generation of Hanson enters politics as Lee Hanson, daughter of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, launched her campaign for a Senate seat in Tasmania on April 3.

While acknowledging her mother’s influence, Lee insists she is running on her own terms.

“My mother is polarising. I’m not my mother. I’m very different,” Lee told Channel 7.

“But I appreciate she’s taught me the values of honesty, integrity, to stand up and give a voice to those who don’t feel they have a voice.”

Her campaign page introduces her as “a no-nonsense local, a mum, a straight talker” who is leading One Nation’s Tasmanian Senate team in 2025.

It highlights her firsthand experience with everyday struggles in Tasmania, including hospital crises, a failing education system, rising cost of living, and housing shortages.

Among her key policy proposals, Lee advocates for income splitting for couples with children, allowing them to file joint tax returns to reduce their tax burden. She also backs the Coalition’s plan to halve fuel excises.

With a background in human resources, she has recently held executive roles at the University of Tasmania and Hydro Tasmania, where she focused on strategy overhauls.

One Nation’s Election Agenda

Meanwhile, Senator Pauline Hanson has been sharpening One Nation’s national election platform.

Last month, she called for cuts to government spending on climate initiatives, public servants, and indigenous Australian agencies, arguing that these reductions were necessary to ease cost-of-living pressures.

At One Nation’s Queensland Senate campaign launch in Cairns, she outlined a plan to cut up to $90 billion from government spending.

One Nation has proposed withdrawing Australia from international organisations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, and the World Economic Forum.

The party has also vowed to cut funding for multicultural programs, reduce National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) expenditures, and abolish both the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the Department of Climate Change.

“There is a lot of duplication—it is out of control—and there is wasteful spending,” Hanson said. “Most people that I talk to around Australia don’t even believe all this climate change.”

Reforming Hiring and Spending

One Nation is also calling for greater scrutiny of public sector salaries and hiring practices.

Senator Hanson has claimed that some government hiring decisions are based on gender rather than merit, leading to inefficiencies within the public sector.

To offset spending cuts, the party has proposed tax relief measures, including eliminating alcohol excise taxes for venues, removing GST from insurance policies and building materials, which could help reduce construction costs, and using the savings to pay down national debt.

While some of One Nation’s policies resemble those of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Senator Hanson has been pushing similar ideas since the 1990s.

With the election fast approaching, polls suggest a possible hung parliament, an outcome that could give One Nation more influence in shaping national policies.

However, Senator Hanson insists the party’s campaign is about more than just political power.

“They are struggling, they are hurting, and the governments do not understand what the hell is going on,” she said, vowing to fight for everyday Australians.