Liberal frontbencher and former SAS soldier Andrew Hastie has defended fellow veteran Jacqui Lambie after One Nation used her medical condition as the subject of a joke in its “Please Explain” animated video series.
In the latest episode, an animated version of Lambie says she “can’t laugh because of my prolapsed vagina”.
Lambie disclosed in August that she had been diagnosed with vaginal and bladder prolapse and would require surgery, followed by five months away from Parliament. She revealed the condition during an emotional speech opposing a proposed cap on healthcare support for returned service personnel.
The independent senator said the condition was linked to a back injury she suffered while serving in the Australian Army.
Speaking to the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Hastie condemned the cartoon as “MAGA-style politics”, describing the treatment of Lambie as “cheap, vulgar and nasty”.
Hastie said he was not opposed to humour, but argued that ridiculing a fellow parliamentarian—or anyone else—for a serious medical condition was neither clever nor funny.
He also accused One Nation leader Pauline Hanson of hypocrisy, noting that she had reacted angrily when billionaire mining executive and political donor Gina Rinehart was recently targeted by a crude joke on an ABC program that suggested she should be attacked.
Labor frontbencher Tim Ayres and independent MP Monique Ryan, a doctor, also joined Lambie in criticising the One Nation video on Monday.
SAS veteran and MP Andrew Hastie criticised Pauline Hanson’s “Please Explain” cartoon after it targeted fellow veteran Jacqui Lambie, following an earlier episode that branded him a “traitor”
Pauline Hanson told Jacqui Lambie to “lighten up” after the cartoon mocked the medical condition she developed while serving her country
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said mocking women’s health issues was not satire but “bullying”.
Hanson defended the cartoon and told Lambie to “lighten up”.
“Get over it, okay? It is actually satirical,” Hanson told reporters in Lambie’s home state of Tasmania.
“Have a good look at it, have a bit of a laugh, Jacqui, and lighten up.”
Hanson has faced further criticism over the One Nation “Please Explain” series, including an earlier cartoon that labelled Liberal frontbencher and former Special Air Services soldier Andrew Hastie a “traitor”. That episode prompted widespread concern.
Lambie, who is facing pressure from the anti-immigration party in Tasmania, previously hit back at Hanson by calling her a “lying coward” and describing the cartoon series as “full of bloody violence”.
A video of Hanson’s press conference shared on her social media accounts was posted with the caption “take a chill pill”.
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Hanson also argued that the video may have helped raise awareness of the condition affecting Lambie and approximately one in 12 women.
Jacqui Lambie previously spoke publicly about her condition to help raise awareness
“There are people out there hurting and, quite frankly, they don’t need the nastiness,” Lambie said.
‘If you want to get on social media and watch Pauline Hanson’s cartoons, then be my guest. If you want more hatred and more spitefulness in your life, then please do so.’
The cartoon, published to Hanson’s social media accounts on Saturday, depicts Lambie as backing the government’s proposed digital duty of care, intended to strengthen online protections for children and give users greater control over the content they encounter.
The video portrays the proposed changes as a crackdown on free speech, with Lambie’s character declaring that One Nation’s animated series has ‘gotta go’.
‘Oh, I hear it’s funny sometimes,’ a caricature of Senator Penny Wong says.
‘No, it’s not, plus I can’t laugh because of my prolapsed vagina,’ Lambie replies.
‘Oh, don’t tell me they’ve made fun of that, have they?’ a caricature of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
‘No, that’d be very distasteful,’ Lambie’s character replies.
The cartoon poked fun at Lambie who is seen in the episode with Senator Penny Wong
Asked whether she had contacted Hanson or One Nation to request that the cartoon be removed, Lambie said she had not, but suggested those close to the party leader should intervene.
‘I would’ve thought that if those people, and especially those men in there, had any front whatsoever, what they’d do is ask her to remove it effective immediately,’ she said.
‘She’s dragging all those other men around her into it too.’
‘If you think it’s a laughable matter about women having problems with their reproductive system, then be my guest and stand by her,’ she said.
‘But seriously, enough is enough.’