Key facts
- Lee Hanson, daughter of Pauline Hanson, worked as a senior adviser to a NSW One Nation senator from Tasmania.
- Hanson's remote work arrangement reportedly lacked the required ministerial approval.
- The role pays between $150,000 and $180,000 annually.
- The process for approving Hanson's work arrangements allegedly bypassed proper parliamentary procedures.
- Hanson appears to have engaged in One Nation campaign activities during work hours.
- Engaging in party political purposes during work hours would breach the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act.
Lee Hanson, daughter of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, has reportedly been working as a senior adviser to a New South Wales senator from Tasmania without the necessary ministerial approval. Under parliamentary rules, staff working outside of Canberra or their parliamentarian's home base require approval from the special minister of state. However, Guardian Australia has learned that when Senator Sean Bell appointed Hanson, he did not submit the required request for an alternative work base arrangement. The role, which pays between $150,000 and $180,000 annually, saw a contract variation approved by the Department of Finance without the minister undertaking the required consideration of 'special circumstances'.
Further analysis of Hanson's social media activity suggests she has been regularly campaigning for One Nation in Tasmania during work hours. Such activities, if undertaken without leave, would be in breach of the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act, which stipulates staff are employed to assist parliamentarians and not for party political purposes. Hanson has been active in expanding the party's presence in Tasmania, opening new branches and claiming thousands of new members. While many posts are made after hours, numerous campaign-related activities and appearances as a One Nation representative have been documented during normal business hours.