Trump tells thousands of Myanmar citizens on temporary protection visas to go home; Hanson under fire for use of expenses in racism case

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson billed taxpayers thousands of dollars for flights, private cars and hotels to attend a private court matter in Sydney where she was found to have racially discriminated Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi.

The Coalition, which has cratered in the polls as Hanson has surged since the election, seized on the Queenslander’s use of expenses, arguing it was not acceptable to use public funds for a personal dispute.

Hanson was yesterday censured by the Senate for Monday’s burqa stunt and suspended for a week’s worth of sitting days, a rare rebuke that united the major parties.

The One Nation leader hosted Nationals renegade Barnaby Joyce for a steak dinner on Monday night, hours after the provocative stunt. Yesterday, Joyce defended Hanson and hinted that his formal switch to One Nation, first flagged by this masthead last month, could occur as early as Friday, defying warnings from his closest Nationals allies about the peril of linking up with Hanson.

Conservatives have been uneasy about brawling with Hanson since the election as public anxiety about immigration has increased. However, repeated attempts to ban Muslim head coverings and her use of expenses have opened up new terrain for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and the Nationals to start contesting Hanson’s rise.