WATCH: Pauline Hanson EMBRACES protest meme after historic Press Club address

GetUp! stunt backfires as One Nation turns protest image into a badge of honour

Avi Yemini
  |   June 18, 2026   |   News Analysis   |   Be the first to comment

After three decades of being mocked, ridiculed and demonised by sections of the mainstream media, Pauline Hanson stepped into the National Press Club and confronted her fiercest critics head-on.

As Hanson began dismantling prevailing media narratives targeting One Nation, far-left activists attempted to hijack the event with a stunt that briefly shifted attention away from her address, but which has since had the opposite effect, drawing further scrutiny to those involved.

During her remarks to the packed audience, a large motorised banner suddenly unfurled behind her, containing a direct attack on Hanson’s political record, prompting shock and bewilderment in the crowd before venue staff quickly removed it.

To her credit, she handled the disruption with absolute composure and that response is exactly why the stunt appears to have backfired.

The activists thought they were embarrassing Pauline Hanson. Instead, they reinforced why she continues to resonate with so many Australians. While Hanson calmly made her case, her opponents were once again attempting to shut her down, the same playbook we have seen for decades: smear her, disrupt her, silence her.

The problem is, many Australians are increasingly over it.

There are now serious questions about how the disruption was able to occur inside a tightly controlled National Press Club event. The organisation has distanced itself from the stunt, despite it unfolding at one of its own functions.

In the immediate aftermath, far-left activist group GetUp! openly claimed responsibility, releasing a short media statement. Footage also shows GetUp! campaign director David Sharaz, better known as Brittany Higgins’ bankrupt husband, in and around the event during the disruption, raising further questions about coordination. 

The Australian Federal Police has also since launched an investigation as the seriousness of the breach and the wider security implications for One Nation, Pauline Hanson and the broader political establishment have become clearer.

Observers have also noted that the level of planning involved in staging a motorised, remote-controlled banner behind a video wall prior to the event suggests that, in different hands, the same breach could have had far more serious consequences.

While most Australians saw the incident as an embarrassing own goal, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan was quick to publicly acknowledge and celebrate it. Critics have pointed to the inconsistency of that response, given her recent calls for civility and respect in political discourse.

Either way, the stunt appears to have backfired politically on those involved. Hanson’s speech has also intensified criticism of her rivals and pushed One Nation further into the national spotlight. Rather than weakening Hanson, it has instead strengthened her position.

One Nation has quickly moved to capitalise on the controversy, turning the incident into a campaign rallying point and even leaning into it online as a meme.

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Avi Yemini

Chief Australian Correspondent

Avi Yemini is the Australia Bureau Chief for Rebel News. He's a former Israeli Defence Force marksman turned citizen journalist. Avi's most known for getting amongst the action and asking the tough questions in a way that brings a smile to your face.

https://followavi.com/

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