Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has condemned One Nation for making light of her struggles with vaginal prolapse, accusing Pauline Hanson’s party of fostering hatred and spite.
Lambie, who called Hanson a “bloody maggot” last month, was mocked in One Nation’s latest episode of its popular Please Explain cartoons. The cartoons serve as political ads and use humour to create lines of attack against Hanson’s critics, including Liberal MP Andrew Hastie who was controversially labelled a “traitor” in the cartoons.
In last week’s episode, the populist party depicted Lambie saying: “I can’t laugh because of my prolapsed vagina.” Lambie’s condition is a running joke in the episode about Labor’s digital duty of care bill, with her character clutching herself each time she gets worked up.
The episode recalled Lambie’s emotional speech in August in which she revealed she had a vaginal and bladder prolapse requiring surgery and five months of leave from parliament. Vaginal prolapse affects up to 50 per cent of women at some point in their lives. The condition can be caused by injury, pregnancy, childbirth or ageing and can disrupt everyday activities.
“Decent leaders don’t stir up hatred, pushing us towards bloody anarchy. That’s exactly what [Hanson] is doing,” Lambie told ABC radio on Monday. She added that One Nation’s videos added “hatred” and “spitefulness” to public life.
“If you think it’s a laughable matter about women having problems with their reproductive system, then you be my guest and you stand by her ... Seriously, enough is enough.”
The flare-up over the cartoon is the latest breakout of controversy for a norm-bending party that pushes the envelope of political discourse and is still in a commanding position as the dominant anti-Labor force, despite a minor polling dip in recent months.
Lambie, who is under pressure from One Nation in Tasmania, has leant into the public conversation on her condition. She has been selling satirical mugs to raise awareness.
Liberal MP Garth Hamilton said the “nasty party” behaviour is what would inevitably cost conservatives at election time and hand Albanese his third term.
“The right of politics needs to focus on getting rid of Labor,” Hamilton said. “Instead, One Nation are focused on making nasty, crass and vulgar attacks on anyone who dares to call them out. These are not the actions of a credible party or government. Pauline and Barnaby [Joyce] must apologise.”
One Nation was contacted for comment.
Independent MP Monique Ryan and Industry and Science Minister Tim Ayres have both rebuked Hanson over the cartoon.
“There’s tens of thousands of Australian women who battle with health conditions like this one,” Ayres told Nine’s Today show.
“To be smashed up by some cheap, nasty bit of political propaganda run out by Pauline Hanson … Jacqui’s also been turning up to do her job every day through excruciating pain.”
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