High Court Grants Pauline Hanson Leave to Appeal Racism Ruling

The High Court of Australia granted special leave on Thursday to hear an appeal by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson regarding a racial discrimination ruling. The case originated from a 2022 tweet in which Hanson told Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi to "pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan" after Faruqi commented on Queen Elizabeth II.

A federal court previously determined that Hanson's comments constituted a "racist trope" and breached the Racial Discrimination Act. This decision was unanimously upheld by the Full Federal Court in July 2025. Hanson now argues that the ruling impeded her implied freedom of speech and is seeking to have Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act declared unconstitutional.

Faruqi has maintained that the legal system must protect migrants and people of color from vilification. The High Court will now decide if the comments breached the law or if the prior rulings infringed upon the implied freedom of political communication.