One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has outlined what she says would be her government’s immediate priorities if she were elected Prime Minister, unveiling a platform centred on cutting immigration, abandoning Australia’s Net Zero emissions target, removing Welcome to Country ceremonies from federal institutions and expanding health benefits for self-funded retirees.

During a wide-ranging appearance on News 24’s Please Explain special, Senator Hanson argued that government spending has become excessive and said Australians were paying the price through higher inflation, rising living costs and increasing pressure on public services.

While acknowledging that One Nation is a minor party, Senator Hanson used the interview to present what she described as the first actions she would take if her party were able to form government.

Her proposals covered healthcare, immigration, energy policy, Indigenous recognition, childcare, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and ongoing legal action over Australia’s racial discrimination laws.

Healthcare support for self-funded retirees

One of Senator Hanson’s headline proposals was extending Commonwealth Seniors Health Card-style benefits to all Australians who have reached retirement age and fund their own retirement without relying on the Age Pension.

She argued that many retirees who had worked and paid taxes throughout their lives now receive little government assistance despite facing increasing medical costs.

“Self-funded retirees, you worked hard, you get nothing back,” Senator Hanson said.

She said retirees should at least receive access to a healthcare card providing subsidised medicines and reduced-cost or bulk-billed GP consultations.

Currently, eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is subject to income testing, with thresholds applying to both singles and couples.

Expanding eligibility to every self-funded retiree would represent a significant increase in government expenditure, although Senator Hanson did not provide an estimated cost or explain how the proposal would be funded.

Reducing immigration to address housing pressures

Immigration remains one of One Nation’s defining policy positions, and Senator Hanson reaffirmed that stance during the interview.

She proposed reducing Australia’s annual migration intake to around 130,000 people while continuing to allow skilled migrants in occupations facing shortages.

According to Senator Hanson, lowering migration would ease pressure on Australia’s housing market by slowing population growth.

“We have too many people coming to the country,” she said.

She argued essential workers, including doctors, nurses and other professionals needed by Australian businesses, should continue to be admitted while broader migration numbers are reduced.

The size of Australia’s migration program has become one of the country’s most politically contested issues as governments seek to balance labour shortages, economic growth and housing affordability.

Net Zero and the Paris Agreement

Senator Hanson also pledged to abandon Australia’s commitment to achieving Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions.

She argued climate policies were contributing unnecessarily to rising electricity prices and broader cost-of-living pressures.

Under her proposal, Australia would withdraw from the Paris Agreement and abolish the federal department responsible for climate change policy.

“Get rid of all that Net Zero rubbish,” she said.

She maintained that reducing government spending on climate initiatives would help lower power prices and ease financial pressure on households.

Australia’s current bipartisan debate over climate policy remains sharply divided, with the Albanese Government continuing to support Net Zero by 2050 while One Nation has consistently opposed the target.

Ending Welcome to Country in government settings

Another proposal likely to generate debate is Senator Hanson’s commitment to remove Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country practices from federal government departments and public education settings.

The issue was raised during the forum by an audience member who asked whether such ceremonies should continue in schools, childcare centres and junior sporting events.

Senator Hanson said she personally does not support the practice.

She added that while private businesses would remain free to conduct Welcome to Country ceremonies if they wished, government agencies should not include acknowledgements on official publications, websites or documents.

She also said she would remove the practice from government schools and other publicly administered education settings.

Welcome to Country ceremonies are conducted by Traditional Owners to welcome visitors onto Country, while Acknowledgement of Country can be delivered by anyone as a recognition of Traditional Custodians.

Supporters argue the practices promote respect and reconciliation, while critics believe they have become overused in some settings.

Review of childcare spending

Senator Hanson questioned the rapid growth in government spending on childcare subsidies, saying taxpayers deserved greater transparency over how public funds were being used.

She called for a comprehensive investigation into the childcare sector.

“It’s costing the taxpayers $16 billion a year, and something’s out of control there,” she said.

Rather than proposing immediate funding reductions, Senator Hanson said she wanted an inquiry to examine whether the existing system was delivering value for money and meeting the needs of Australian families.

Calls for major NDIS reform

The National Disability Insurance Scheme was another major focus of Senator Hanson’s policy agenda.

She argued the rapidly growing program requires significant reform to ensure funding reaches Australians genuinely requiring disability support.

Pointing to projected increases in expenditure over coming years, Senator Hanson said authorities should concentrate on identifying fraudulent claims and organised scams rather than reducing support for legitimate participants.

“Go after the ones that are scamming it,” she said.

Her comments come amid a series of high-profile investigations by the Fraud Fusion Taskforce into alleged large-scale fraud targeting the multibillion-dollar disability support program.

Senator Hanson also repeated her long-standing position that government assistance should be based on individual need rather than race, arguing funding programs should be applied consistently across all Australians.

High Court challenge over Section 18C

The One Nation leader confirmed she intends to continue her legal battle over Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act by seeking special leave to appeal to the High Court.

The announcement follows the Full Federal Court’s decision to uphold an earlier ruling that comments she directed at Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi breached the Act.

In 2024, Justice Angus Stewart found Senator Hanson’s remarks were seriously offensive and constituted a strong form of racism.

The Full Court recently dismissed her appeal, leaving Senator Hanson facing a substantial legal costs order.

Despite that setback, she said she would continue pursuing the matter.

“There’s a lot riding on this,” she said.

Senator Hanson argues Section 18C restricts freedom of expression by allowing legal action over statements considered offensive, insulting, intimidating or humiliating.

She said a successful High Court challenge could fundamentally alter how the legislation operates.

According to Senator Hanson, she has consulted senior constitutional barristers Bret Walker SC and Perry Herzfeld SC while considering the appeal.

The High Court has not yet indicated whether it will hear the matter.

Permanent residents and welfare

Responding to an audience question, Senator Hanson also clarified her position regarding elderly permanent residents.

She rejected suggestions that long-term permanent residents would lose government benefits under One Nation policies.

After hearing about an 89-year-old permanent resident who had spent decades working and paying taxes in Australia, Senator Hanson said she did not support removing assistance from elderly residents in those circumstances.

“No way,” she said.

“They’ve been paying the taxes all these years.”

European trip funded in part by Gina Rinehart

Senator Hanson also addressed criticism surrounding her recent European holiday with mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.

She confirmed Ms Rinehart paid for connecting flights between London, Rome and Sicily, as well as her attendance at a Dolce & Gabbana fashion event.

Senator Hanson said she personally paid for her accommodation, meals and other travel expenses, insisting Australian taxpayers did not fund the overseas trip.

The One Nation leader has previously disclosed receiving several gifts from Ms Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting, including campaign flights and a donated Cirrus G7 aircraft used for travel to regional communities.

Those donations have drawn criticism from political opponents, including Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who recently accused One Nation of aligning too closely with the interests of the mining billionaire.

Speaking at the Australian Labor Party’s national conference, Mr Chalmers argued the government’s housing reforms were designed to improve affordability for younger Australians and claimed critics were attempting to preserve existing advantages.

He also criticised One Nation’s relationship with Ms Rinehart, saying Labor would continue making policy decisions independently rather than according to the wishes of wealthy donors.

A platform built around cost of living and smaller government

Although many of Senator Hanson’s proposals would require parliamentary support unlikely to be available to a minor party acting alone, the interview provided one of the clearest overviews of One Nation’s current policy priorities.

Across healthcare, migration, energy, Indigenous affairs and government spending, the common theme was reducing the size of government, lowering public expenditure and redirecting assistance toward what Senator Hanson describes as ordinary Australians.

Whether those policies gain broader electoral support will become clearer as political parties continue positioning themselves ahead of the next federal election, where cost-of-living pressures, housing affordability and public spending are expected to remain among the campaign’s defining issues.