Newly unearthed comments by Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts reveal the full extent of One Nation's criticism of the family law system. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
On a 2021 podcast, Hanson claimed domestic violence was being "used as a weapon" in court proceedings and criticized domestic violence groups for focusing on support for women. "I feel for the children, I feel for the parents and I'm sick of these feminists who are trying to take over this whole thing and who are actually driving their own agenda. I'm sick and tired of hearing that men are the only perpetrators and they're denied the right to see their children," she said.
In a January 2025 podcast, Hanson opposed paid domestic violence leave, saying employers should not be responsible. "Nobody in Australia would say domestic violence isn't a horrible thing, but you've got 10 days. It should not be tied up in your employment. Your employer should not be responsible," she said. The federal Labor government legislated 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave annually in 2022, replacing five days of unpaid leave.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said only "a tiny number of people" used the leave, but they used it to get medical help, report to police, move to a safer home or go to court. ACTU president Michele O'Neil called the scheme "an essential lifeline available to workers facing some horrifically dangerous situations".
In the 2021 interview, Hanson criticized "feminist" groups in the domestic violence system: "You have the domestic violence organisations, they're getting millions of dollars in funding for it. You've got these refuges – and I can see that a woman needs to be protected if they don't have a house to actually go to with the kids, a safe place to go … but you've got to offer the same to a man. You can't just look after women." She also claimed domestic violence was "used as a weapon" in court: "Domestic violence here is, the person can go in and say 'I'm in fear' and that can be domestic violence. If you text your partner a number of times 'I want to see my child', that's harassment, that can be domestic violence. If you say 'honey, sorry why'd you buy another pair of shoes? We've got the rent to pay', that's domestic violence."
Malcolm Roberts, in a May interview with the rightwing podcast Cafe Locked Out, called the family court system the "slaughterhouse of the nation". "The family law court, a friend of mine describes the family law system as the slaughterhouse of the nation and he's right. It's set up to divide. It's set up to make money for lawyers. It's set up to smash the family," he said.
One Nation and Hanson's office did not respond to requests for comment.
In Australia, domestic and family violence counselling is available from Full Stop Australia on 1800 385 578.