Andrew Hastie has accepted an apology from his former colleague Barnaby Joyce over a One Nation cartoon video labelling the former SAS captain a traitor but reiterated that he believed Pauline Hanson was a “lying coward”.
The apology has revealed a split between Joyce and his leader, as Hanson instead appeared to double down on the controversial animation on social media, thanking Hastie for drawing attention to the video posted more than one month ago and saying critics should “take a chill pill”.
Hastie had called on Hanson and One Nation to take ownership of the cartoon or remove it from social media, after the One Nation leader said she personally had not called the Liberal frontbencher a traitor.
The One Nation video posted to social media in late July depicts Hastie as a pitiful and paranoid opposition leader manipulated by Anthony Albanese into taking on One Nation.
It also refers to him being a traitor after he gave evidence against the Victoria Cross-winner Ben Roberts-Smith in his failed defamation trial.
Joyce quickly distanced himself from the video on Wednesday, saying he was not aware it. He later told the press he had reached out to Hastie.
On Friday Hastie told Guardian Australia he accepted Joyce’s explanation.
“Barnaby Joyce has reached out to me and explained that he didn’t know about the cartoon that called me a traitor eight times,” Hastie said. “I accept his explanation.
“I called him a lying coward because I thought he was protecting Pauline Hanson. I now know that she is the only lying coward.”
Hastie has accused Hanson of being “weak” and having a “glass jaw” and said the video not only insults him but all veterans, including others who gave evidence at the defamation trial.
Hanson has refused to apologise or pull down the video and has taken aim at critics including Jacqui Lambie, who backed Hastie and called the One Nation leader an “angry little woman”.
She posted a photo of Lambie on X and wrote: “I think everyone needs to take a chill pill.” The video remained pinned to the top of her X account on Friday.
Joyce would not weigh into whether the video should be taken down, telling News24 on Thursday night it was “beyond my pay grade”.
“I’m not responsible for putting the cartoons up and I’m not responsible for taking them down,” he MP said. “So, you know, it’s an odd discussion for me.
“If I believe a person’s hurt and I listen to it and I think, no, that’s fair enough, you’re not a traitor, therefore if you feel hurt by that because you think it’s too close to the bone, even though it’s a cartoon, I’m not making excuses because it’s a cartoon, but it wasn’t actually said by anybody in One Nation to him then nonetheless, it should be apologised for, so I apologise.”
But the One Nation senator Sean Bell said it was a “shame” Hastie had decided to make the issue about himself.
“I don’t think the party has anything to apologise for,” he told News24. “I think people should go and watch the cartoon, because I think, in it, there’s a lot of very insightful things, because it’s not just about Mr Hastie, it’s about the Liberal party as a whole. It’s about the Labor party and some of the tricks they use.
“Mr Hastie’s has been looking to have a fight and a conflict with One Nation for a long, long time.”
Senior Liberals, Lambie, the RSL and the Greens have all criticised the video, and pushed for it to be taken down.
On Friday the defence minister and deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said the use of the word traitor was “tasteless”.
“Andrew Hastie is definitely not a traitor,” he told ABC radio. “I know him well and I’ve said this publicly. I very much honour the service that Andrew Hastie has given to our country, wearing our nation’s uniform. I think to use that word in respect of a veteran is extremely tasteless.
“No one should be using that word in respect of any veteran and in respect of Andrew.”
