Who paid for Pauline Hanson's trip to Europe? Not taxpayers, she says

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says her trip to Europe did not cost taxpayers "one cent" but has not revealed how it was funded.In her first public remarks since returning to Australia, Senator Hanson spoke in Western Australia on Tuesday to defend her travel and hit back at criticism of several inflammatory anti-immigration comments she made while away.She spent more than a week abroad, including speaking at two conservative conferences in the UK and attending a fashion show in Italy with her billionaire donor Gina Rinehart, with whom she was also spotted poolsideat a luxury hotel in Sicily.Asked about Ms Rinehart's influence, Senator Hanson said the mining magnate was a "very proud, patriotic Australian" and "backs" One Nation because she sees the same thing in the party.Speaking at the Perth leadership breakfast hosted by The West Australian newspaper, Senator Hanson insisted she would "not apologise" for the trip, which also included an appearance on the Tommy Robinson Show, a podcast hosted by far-right, anti-Islamic activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who has an extensive criminal record.During her appearance on Robinson's podcast, published last week, Senator Hanson pinpointed the dismantling of the White Australia Policy as the moment problems started with Australia's immigration system.But she later argued she was not advocating for its return, despite claiming immigration should end from "certain countries that wear the burqa" and from "radical Islamic countries."Senator Hanson pushed back on a suggestion from a journalist at the media event on Tuesday that her policies, which include banning migrants from "nations known to foster extremist ideologies," were a version of the White Australia Policy."No, it's got nothing to do with that. Don't go there with me," she said.One Nation's policy statement nominates Gaza as a region from where migrants would be barred from entering Australia, but does not mention other areas specifically.Senator Hanson has previously suggested she would rely on advice from security agencies about which areas to block immigration from.Hanson admires Trump's deportation planDuring a segment on Seven's Spotlight program, which was filmed during her time overseas, Senator Hanson was asked about her views on the "concept of mass deportation.""Oh, I love it," she told the network.She later clarified that she wanted to target "the ones who are here illegally in this country."Figures released by the Department of Home Affairs in June show a third of overstayers are from China, Malaysia and the United States.Senator Hanson said she admired US President Donald Trump's approach to mass deportation as a "great way of doing it." (Reuters: Saul Loeb/Pool)On Tuesday, Senator Hanson said she admired US President Donald Trump's approach to mass deportation as a "great way of doing it.""Trump said 'OK, all those that are in the country illegally, I'll actually give you a one-way ticket out of the country,'" she said."And he said, 'then you can apply to come back in some time later.'"'But if you don't go, and we find you, you will never get back in the country again.'"One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce also fielded questions about how deportations would work during an interview on 7.30 on Monday night, after he suggested illegal immigrants might be caught when they go to see a doctor or nurse.Asked whether One Nation would require medical professionals to report people who had overstayed their visa to authorities, Mr Joyce attempted to clarify his position."No Sarah, that's ridiculous … If they're illegal, they're not supposed to be in Australia, that's why they're termed illegal immigrants. People who are illegal immigrants should be sent home," he said.Asked if the medical system would be used to identify illegal immigrants, Mr Joyce instead said that borders needed to be reinforced."From time to time, [illegal immigrants] are going to come up against a whole range of issues, whether that is health issues, parking fines, whatever it is, it's going to pop up."And they've got to be sent off, otherwise the whole thing is a farce."Joyce doesn't know who paid for Europe tripResponding to a question about whether it was appropriate for Ms Rinehart to gift Senator Hanson a trip to Europe, given that he had previously returned a cash gift, Mr Joyce said he had not asked his leader who had paid for her trip.In 2017, Mr Joyce returned a $40,000 cheque from the billionaire, which Ms Rinehart presented personally as an award for his efforts in agriculture.Although initially accepting the cheque, Mr Joyce later handed it back after criticism from Labor politicians and the National Farmers Federation, who said they did not support the award.Mr Joyce said whether Senator Hanson had paid for the trip or not would be highlighted on her declarations."I haven't confirmed it, and I don't know … I don't occupy my day worrying about what Pauline has paid for or has not paid for," he said."If she hasn't paid for it, you'll be able to see it … it will be on the declaration of interest, just like everything else is."Barnaby Joyce says he has not discussed the funding of the trip with Senator Hanson. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)He said Ms Rinehart had "never asked for anything" and he had "never offered."Senator Hanson will have 28 days to declare her trip to Europe if Ms Rinehart, or any other person, paid for it.In an initial pitch email from a producer of the Spotlight program that Senator Hanson posted to social media, the network offered to pay for her flights.In a statement, the network said the email was one of many sent over a period of six months, and said the only part of the trip they paid for was a hotel room where they filmed an interview.Ms Hanson also questioned whether the pitch reflected what was aired, with the email stating the focus would be on "uncontrolled immigration".The show's producer said this would be "the backbone of our story", after claiming the segment aimed to "enlighten viewers" about the scale of the issue.Taylor rubbishes rumours of One Nation, Liberal coalition in SAWhile Senator Hanson was courting conservatives in Europe, rebel Liberal Senator Alex Antic said his party should be more "realistic" about its election prospects and doubled down on the idea of an expanded Coalition that could include One Nation.On Friday, Mr Antic took to social media calling One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts, known for his antisemitic views, a "clear thinker" and "decent bloke."Senator Roberts has been criticised for past comments including that American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was a "beacon of hope around the world", declaring Russian President Vladimir Putin had "earned his respect" for invading Ukraine, and falsely claiming COVID-19 vaccines caused miscarriages.On Monday, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said he did "not agree with those views" and dismissed the idea of a Coalition with the minor party."That will not be happening," Mr Taylor said."I'll continue to make the point that One Nation is not fit to govern."Meanwhile, questions over the future of Senator Antic have been hosed down by insiders, who believe no-one in the party will move to intervene despite his comments in support of One Nation.A senior Liberal has told the ABC that while there was an appetite among some in the party, including a growing number of conservatives, to respond more forcefully to Senator Antic's dissent, there was "not an option" currently under any serious consideration.They said Senator Antic could only be kicked out of the party from within South Australia, and there was little chance of that happening given his "total control" of the state's executive through factional allies.Alex Antic's opinion of Malcolm Roberts is a departure from the rest of his Liberal Party colleagues. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)Another said they could "not see" federal Liberal Party president Tony Abbott instigating any intervention to deal with the South Australian.But they acknowledged Senator Antic had significant political power in the state, meaning talk of a "merger" or pact with One Nation — first reported by the Sydney Morning Herald — could not be "entirely dismissed".In terms of potentially ousting Senator Antic from the parliamentary party room, a Liberal MP said they did not believe Mr Taylor would do it.Separately, a Liberal described Senator Antic as the "master of trolling" and speculated his public support of One Nation and backing of Senator Roberts in defiance of Mr Taylor was aimed at "winding people [in the party] up more than anything else".