Pauline Hanson Says Convicted Rapist Employed By One Nation Has Been Sacked

Pauline Hanson says she has sacked the convicted rapist who worked as One Nation’s campaign manager, but accused Coalition MPs of playing “gutter politics” by criticising her decision to rehire him.

Sean Black, who in 2018 was jailed for rape and subsequently lost his appeal against the conviction, was initially rehired by One Nation in 2020 as a campaign director after serving his time. He remained employed by the party until Sunday, Hanson said. In a late-night appearance on Sky News, Hanson also said “he’s gone, he’s finished” when asked about Black’s employment, and she was “sickened” by criticism from opposition politicians in recent days.

The Liberal senator James Paterson had earlier criticised the “absolutely extraordinary” decision by Hanson’s political party to keep a convicted rapist on staff, stating that it’s “very hard to take One Nation seriously”, when they talk about being tough on crime and domestic violence. The Liberal National MP Garth Hamilton had also written to the House of Representatives speaker last week to share his concern about whether Black had been in the building, according to the Courier Mail.