Court Dismisses Hanson Appeal Over Go Back to Pakistan Ruling

One Nation Leader Senator Pauline Hanson before her address to the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on June 17, 2026. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty ImagesThe Federal Court has thrown out an attempted appeal by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson against a ruling that she discriminated against Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi.The original finding, handed down by Justice Angus Stewart in 2024, found that Hanson engaged in unlawful racial discrimination by telling Faruqi to “[expletive] back off to Pakistan.”The exchange between the two unfolded on the social media platform X, where Faruqi saud she would not mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II.“I cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples,” Faruqi wrote.“We are reminded of the urgency of treaty with first nations, justice and reparations for British colonies and becoming a republic”.Hanson responded, saying Faruqi’s attitude disgusted her.“When you immigrated to Australia you took every advantage of this country,” she wrote.“You took citizenship, bought multiple homes and got into parliament.“It’s clear you’re not happy, so pack your bags and [expletive] off back to Pakistan.”On July 27 this year, the Federal Court of Australia upheld its original verdict against Hanson, saying there was no grounds for an appeal.Hanson said she was disappointed with the outcome.“My legal team and I will now closely review the decision in the coming days, with a view to commencing an appeal in the High Court of Australia,” she said in a statement.“Public discussion in Australia has become almost totally silenced by laws and rules which prevent ordinary people expressing their personal views in case some small part of our society takes some sort of offence or feels hurt or ‘distressed.’“This has never been, nor ever should be, the Australian way.”Hanson said Australians shouldn’t be prevented from having a voice on issues relevant to the nation’s future.“I was incensed by the incredible disrespect that I felt was shown to our late Queen on the day of her death by Senator Fahruqi and others,” she said.“I simply wanted to call that out. For me, respect for our institutions of government, for our collective moral compass and for the principles – including respect for our head of state—which together have shaped this wonderful nation, are vital attributes which all Australians should embrace.“Challenging racism is not easy, particularly for people who carry the burden of experiencing it,” the party’s statement said.“This decision will be felt deeply by migrant, First Nations and Muslim communities across Australia, many of whom saw the original finding as a rare moment of validation and accountability after years of being told that racial abuse is simply the cost of political participation.“Mehreen’s courage and resilience has advanced the fight against racism and xenophobia in this country.”