Pauline Hanson reveals past as broke single mother in CPAC Brisbane speech

Pauline Hanson, the leader of One Nation, delivered a keynote at CPAC Brisbane over the weekend, revealing that she was a broke single mother at age 21 and describing how the experience shaped her life. She noted that she married at 16 and had her first child the following year. Her husband left the family six months after the birth of their second child. "I didn't have enough money to feed us but I made sure the kids were looked after," Hanson said.

She described working part-time to pay the bills, with no assistance, and said her husband distanced himself from the family. "He just completely distanced himself from myself and the kids." Hanson said she did guttering and rewashing taps and other tasks as she sought to support her children, and later helped her second husband run his plumbing business. "I was up there doing the guttering, doing blockages, going to neighbours' places rewashing taps. It came from my work ethic." Her father, Jack Seccombe, the third youngest of seven children, worked 106 hours a week for 25 years, a model she said taught resilience. "No one owes you anything. The world owes you nothing, and I'm sick and tired of seeing people out there play the victim."

Separately, Hanson used the speech to announce a film project tied to her cartoon series "Please Explain." She said a feature-length film adaptation will hit cinemas on January 26 to coincide with Australia Day. "People are saying, 'Pauline – where are your cartoons? We want to see your cartoons,' she told the crowd. "Well, the big surprise is, we're actually putting out the movie. Hopefully it goes worldwide — so wait for that one. I'm very proud of it."

CPAC Brisbane drew a sell-out crowd, and Hanson was greeted with a standing ovation as she took the stage. The address underscores her willingness to draw on personal hardship to illustrate her message of resilience and self-reliance, while also promoting a film tied to her public profile.