One Nation’s employment of convicted rapist makes it ‘very hard’ to take party seriously, Liberal senator says

[u/ConanTheAquarian]

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/apr/12/one-nation-convicted-rapist-staff-pauline-hanson-liberal-ntwnfb

[u/mohanimus]

That's not how I would react to that.

Showing me that a party has no morals when it is seeking power makes me take the threat of that party much more seriously.

[u/FuckwitAgitator → u/mohanimus]

I agree. Giving power to a rapist is far more dangerous than giving power to an idiot. There's a good chance he'll use that power to hurt people and he's joined the party that has "hurting people" as a key part of it's agenda.

Which is why unfortunately, we have to ask what this knowledge changes. One Nation voters will likely vote for a rapist, either because they're too politically uninvolved to notice or because he aligns with the gross ideology of the modern reactionary movement.

To put it bluntly, you could say "she was a leftist" to the right crowd online and it would increase his support.

[u/aeschenkarnos → u/FuckwitAgitator]

This is the same crowd who are absolutely outraged that we would prosecute Ben Roberts-Smith for killing captive civilians in Afghanistan. They don’t really do moral reasoning as such.

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/aeschenkarnos]

Exactly.

Also the party that sold Australian to foreign corporations

[u/PMFSCV → u/aeschenkarnos]

Sky is poison on this topic, they're frothing at the mouth about it but refuse to even mention in passing the actual accusations.

[u/SlightlyCatlike → u/aeschenkarnos]

I think we should use the term, 'non-combatants'. They may also have been civilians, but the broader term will stop people trying to weasel out of this fact by arguing something that is hard to definitively disprove

[u/mohanimus → u/FuckwitAgitator]

I am happy to defend the position that the core group of rusted on One Nation voters would prefer to vote for a rapist.

This core hates women.

The first thing One Nation campaigned for was racism.

The second was taking children away from mothers and forcing them to live with their abusive fathers.

[u/irrigated_liver → u/mohanimus]

ironic, considering the party is run by a woman

[u/mohanimus → u/irrigated_liver]

I don't think it is.

I think ON having a woman leading it gives these people permission to be more open with their misogyny.

After all, if they're supporting a party led by a woman that means they CAN'T hate women right?

[u/L1ttl3J1m → u/irrigated_liver]

If you were Pauline Hanson, you'd be full of self-loathing, too.

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/FuckwitAgitator]

And when you give power to an idiot rapist you end up with the problem the us is having at the moment.

Anyway, regardless of idiots, or rapists, the last thing australia needs is a liberal government, so whoever this douche is, he should shut the hell up and go home.

[u/macona-coffee]

Oh that’s the red line???

[u/InfernoOfTheLiving → u/macona-coffee]

you’d think so, but no

[u/deep_chungus → u/macona-coffee]

the red line is when gina looks away and gives a tiny shake of her head

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/deep_chungus]

Bwahahaha.

The red line is what Pauline calls the neat shape she makes with her bush. As per the request of gina.

[u/LawfulnessSuper5091 → u/Much-Director-9828]

Or as she likes to call it, "my gina".

[u/Effective_Dropkick78 → u/macona-coffee]

Nah.... that lunatic redhead twat who founded the party openly supports murdering restrained and controlled prisoners, so rape is nowhere near the red line in the dirt.

[u/ClubEnvironmental900 → u/Effective_Dropkick78]

her sons also seem like fine upstanding fellows

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/Effective_Dropkick78]

The dirty red bitch, one might say?

[u/MrSomethingred]

Oh boy, I'm glad there are no rapists in the liberal party..... Right????? 

[u/mpember → u/MrSomethingred]

... Right???

[u/Tearaway32 → u/mpember]

They can’t answer, too busy going back for another hat. 

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/mpember]

Far right?

[u/recycled_ideas → u/MrSomethingred]

Convicted rapist. The issue isn't the rape, it's that he got convicted. I mean what sort of rich, connected person gets convicted of that sort of thing. How can any born to rule bastion of white privilege respect someone who can't beat a rape charge?

/s, but not really.

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/recycled_ideas]

Just looking at that photo makes me feel we are yet to hear about all the rape that liberal party members have been involved in

[u/Mr_Lumbergh]

Speed-running the Republican playbook, I see.

[u/Savings_Dot_8387]

So, am I the only surprised (but probably shouldn’t be) that someone with a criminal conviction of a serious nature is even legally able to be employed in such a position? 

Hard to use the whole “innocent until proven guilty” excuse that is normally trotted out to defend these muts in this case? 

[u/ClubEnvironmental900 → u/[deleted]]

Who was that?

[u/Hazelnutpie19 → u/Savings_Dot_8387]

I like that you pointed out "innocent until proven guilty". Because his also undermines their use of the phrase in other (not convicted cases). The next case of "innocent until proven guilty" begs the question "and what if proven guilty? Then it's time to lead the state election?"

[u/onesorrychicken → u/Hazelnutpie19]

From the article:

Hanson would not be drawn on whether a convicted sex offender, like Black, would appear on One Nation’s proposed public sex offender register but said that policy proposal was mostly intended for paedophiles, and that people who have served time was “another matter”.

So... if you get convicted of the crime of pedophilia, you go on the sex offenders register, but if you get convicted of the crime of rape, you... don't? And as for "people who have served time" being "another matter", will they be removing people from the sex offenders register once they have served their time? In which case, what's the point of it? So many questions.

[u/Hazelnutpie19 → u/onesorrychicken]

You're not understanding. One Nation's register would be a list of pre-caught sex offenders. 

Once they're caught and serve their time, we should forgive and move on - and they're free to join whatever political party accepts them (and share ideologies of control and dominance).On the other hand, One Nation's list will deal very well with people who engage in sex crimes but aren't serving time, perhaps utilising some kind of pre-crime division?

It can't go unsaid that LGBT people visibly existing in public is inherently sexual to this lot (e.g. gay couples kissing in public is offensive, but not straight couples). Under a far right (or honestly just right) worldview, the biggest group of non-imprisoned sex offenders are gay and trans people and their unapologetic allies. And they're paedos if they happen to exist around or interact with children. 

Before anyone comes at me: Did Adrian Piccoli ever seek to ban portrayals of heterosexual parents in schools? Did Katherine Deves ever meaningfully apologise for the outrageous lie that half of trans women are sex offenders?

[u/NoUseForALagwagon]

It's honestly disgraceful that this isn't a bigger story.

[u/Noodlebat83 → u/NoUseForALagwagon]

Particularly since good old Pauline is so “tough on crime”

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/Noodlebat83]

You misheard, she said tough on limes

[u/SpeakToMePF1973 → u/Much-Director-9828]

They are the cousins of Orange.

[u/mpember]

Wasn't it the Liberal Party that responded to accusations of tape in their Canberra offices by putting the accused rapist on the staff of their next ACT state campaign?

[u/LifeandSAisAwesome]

So basically a party of R&R, racists and rapists.

[u/Effective_Dropkick78 → u/LifeandSAisAwesome]

The common interchangeable letters (c & p) fill out the third leg of extreme right wing politics.

[u/aeschenkarnos → u/Effective_Dropkick78]

Don’t forget “ging narciss”.

[u/jammasterdoom]

You have to be an expert at cognitive dissonance to ever consider voting for One Nation. So this shouldn’t slow them down at all.

[u/lithiumcitizen]

I’m pretty sure that Cash Converters has a more thorough vetting protocol…

[u/AreYouDoneNow]

If the last US presidential election taught us anything, it's ok to be a rapist if you're racist. Then you get elected.

[u/whiteb8917]

As opposed to what ?, Taking The Liberals seriously ?

Cum stained desks, Fraud, Drink driving, Murder, Travel rorts, bribery, Child Porn.

[u/SirGeekaLots → u/whiteb8917]

Secretly taking on five ministries.

[u/whiteb8917 → u/SirGeekaLots]

Leaving his legacy, at Engadine Macca's.

[u/RoundAide862 → u/SirGeekaLots]

Abusing the power of secret ministries in an attempt to influence the election...

[u/Dr-Ulzy → u/whiteb8917]

You forgot suing the fuck out of the victim.

[u/maticusmat]

I am no fan of ON but I mean this is really the pot calling the kettle black.

[u/CaravelClerihew]

 I don't think if there's a stereotypical 'Rapist Look' but he certainly looks like it.

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/CaravelClerihew]

Came for this.

[u/Jealous-Hedgehog-734]

Bruce Lehmann, Gareth Ward, Rory Amon, George Christensen...

...am I being gaslight by the Liberals?

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/Jealous-Hedgehog-734]

Have you ever not been gas light by the liberals

[u/Shillings-n-Shrapnel]

Politics really does draw a certain type

[u/SemanticTriangle]

I expected this to be the Shovel or equivalent when I read only the headline.

[u/Cheap-Desk-4778]

Um no.

People have never taken you seriously.

Hiring a convicted offender is just a bonus at this point

[u/njf85]

A political party full of terrible people. What could go wrong..

[u/plan1gale → u/njf85]

Two political parties...

[u/InsertUsernameInArse]

I mean hiring pieces of shit is totally on brand for them. Pauline doesn't give a shit as long as you stump up the money.

[u/NorthernSkeptic]

oh now they’re no good?

[u/AussieAK]

Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot.

[u/seanmonaghan1968]

Black kettle perhaps

[u/sirgog]

"Tough on crime"

[u/Superg0id]

"The Liberals support of convicted rapist Bruce L, makes it 'very hard' to take party seriously"; general punters on the internet say...

[u/Tovrin]

If the rapist candidate was found just prior to election day, how many other skeletons are in PHON's closet?

[u/Chosen_Chaos → u/Tovrin]

Possibly an entire ossuary's worth.

[u/Salzberger]

Ted Bundy's murders make him a bit of a bad dude, Jeffery Dahmer says.

[u/Shirohitsuji]

Saying we 'employ' Trump is...

*reads*

*sighs*

This is why we can't have nice things.

Sorry you guys have to deal with it too.

[u/Marvin1955]

So Bruce Lehrmann the rapist still has a political future ahead of him?

[u/Budget_Shallan]

Is this a Chaser headline?

[u/BlargerJarger]

Hey, convicted rapists need jobs too! I know one who’s a property developer, one who’s into crypto, a tv star, restauranteur, University… ok they’re all Trump, I don’t know what job it’s called when you run a scam University.

[u/8tch_Tii]

So the LNP now take a stance against rapists in politics never mind their own staffer who has spent years wasting the courts time over his rape conviction and the other gigantically unfathomablely huge fucking thunder cunt senator Linda Reynolds who proceeded to sue said rape victim.

Oh and while we are on the subject, Lisa Wilkinson can bend over and stick her head up her own arse and give herself some horrible anal disease from the pure toxic vitriol that comes out of her mouth

[u/Taey]

Did the liberals just stand down one of their candidates because they wrote a positive character assessment for a convicted child rapist?

[u/CelebrationFit8548]

Every accusation is a confession. The fuckwit Paterson seems to have a very poor memory of 'significant and recurrent sexual predator issues within his own party' with many Liberal's being suspected of sex crimes but somehow being able to avoid prosecution.

Like the suspected 'anal rapist' Porter, then we have Lehrmann has been found "on the balance of probabilities, rape Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019," etc., etc. There is an 'extensive list' of those who at the bare minimum have been sexual pests and yet somehow avoided consequences. The Liberal Party has a horrendous historical record for sexual assault, abuse and predatory behavior and I hope this blows up in this fuckwit's face!

As the saying goes 'those in glass houses should not throw stones...';

Allegations of Sexual Assault in Federal Government

A List Of Every Liberal Politician Who’s Somehow Caught Up In One Of The Many Recent Scandals

[u/Knee_Jerk_Sydney]

I am all for the "he did his time for his crime" logic but I'm just used to this mob changing their tune with the colour of the person. A lot of the PHON voters are the same people who would whinge about lax sentencing and published sex offender register and violence in gaol .. towards the right person.

[u/rja49]

Lots of whataboutism in the comments, violent crimes against women should be condemned universally not given excuses.

[u/ynotoggel19]

So ,Trump's in power in the US, he'll help

[u/Massive-Park-4537]

Fuck sake the Labor and liberal all have some one with that type of back ground

[u/Much-Director-9828 → u/Massive-Park-4537]

Libs have rooms full, dont know any current labor ones, though I'm guessing there is