Pauline Hanson to pay hefty price for defamation
Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault and harassment.
Pauline Hanson has been ordered to pay $250,000 in damages to former One Nation senator Brian Burston after she falsely claimed he sexually abused a female staffer in his parliamentary office.
The One Nation leader was ordered to pay the penalties by Justice Robert Bromwich on Wednesday for claims she made on the Nine Network.
Along with accusations of sexual abuse, Hanson also claimed Burston had assaulted One Nation chief of staff James Ashby without provocation in the Great Hall of Parliament, which Justice said were both “seriously damaging” to Burston’s reputation.
"I find that both (imputations) were seriously damaging to Mr Burston's reputation, being broadcast on a nationally broadcast television program watched by over 290,000 people at the time," Justice Bromwich said.
“They were both false.”
However, Burston failed to prove a number of other claims were defamatory, including imputations that he sexually harassed staff in his office, including a female staffer, and that he brought the senate into disrepute due to his behaviour towards staff.
Justice Bromwich described Burston’s behaviour as “objectively wrong and inappropriate” and said he hadn’t “kept up with changes in society” in relation to women’s rights.
"Mr Burston had apparently not kept up with changes in society in relation to the rights of women, with the tide having turned even more decisively in recent years, most particularly in relation to the conduct of and around elected representatives and their staff," he wrote.
Burston launched the defamation suit in June 2020 over what he said were false claims of sexual harassment made on social media, television, and via text that painted him as a sexual harrasser.
He has repeatedly denied the allegations of misconduct.
Hanson filed a counter suit in November 2020, claiming Burston’s case and allegations made against her of sexual harassment amounted to sexual discrimination.
During a seven-day hearing in June, the court heard from two of Burston’s colleagues who gave evidence of alleged harassment.
Terri-Lea Vairy said Burston had regularly degraded, humiliated and disgusted her with acts of sexual harassment, including shoving $100 between her breasts.
Fellow employee Wendy Leach said she was unfairly dismissed after telling Burston to stop his infatuation with Ms Vairy, and spoke of an incident where Burston allegedly offered her “a good f**k”.
"I am in no doubt that Ms Vairy suffered continued harassment from Mr Burston during her employment, predominantly of a sexual nature. Nor am I in any doubt that Mr Burston sexually propositioned Ms Leach," Justice Bromwich wrote.
The court also heard that Burston smeared blood from his hand on Hanson’s door “like some hex”.
Burston left One Nation to join the United Australia Party in June 2018 after a fall-out with colleagues over his stance on proposed tax cuts from then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
In the 2019 federal election, Burston failed to keep his seat.
Images: Facebook