The Full Federal Court unanimously dismissed Pauline Hanson's appeal in July 2026, affirming a 2024 ruling that she racially discriminated against Muslim Senator Mehreen Faruqi by telling her to "pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan" in a tweet from 2022 [1, 2, 3].
Judge Angus Stewart originally found Hanson breached the Racial Discrimination Act and ordered her to delete the tweet and pay Faruqi's legal costs in 2024 [1, 2, 3]. Hanson had argued in the appeal that the law infringed on freedom of political communication, but the court rejected this defense in a detailed 434-paragraph judgment delivered by three judges [3, 2].
The phrase Hanson used was described as a variant of the well-known racist and Islamophobic slogan telling minorities to "go back to where you came from" [1, 3]. Faruqi, who attended the appeal hearing while Hanson did not, said, "Today's win is for every single person who has been made to feel that their belonging in this country is conditional," adding, "Hate speech is not free speech" and "Today, justice has prevailed" [1, 3].
Faruqi also expressed hope that the ruling "emboldens individuals and communities to assert their right to live free from racism" [2]. Hanson and her legal team stated they intend to seek leave to appeal to the High Court following the Federal Court's decision [1, 3]. Hanson has previously advocated for a Muslim immigration ban but denied seeking to revive the 'White Australia' policy when questioned in a podcast [1].
The judgment signals a firm legal stance against racist language directed at elected officials. The court ordered Hanson to remove the offending tweet and cover Faruqi’s legal expenses [1]. The case dates back to Hanson’s 2022 tweet responding to Faruqi’s post mourning Queen Elizabeth II while criticizing colonialism [1, 3, 2].
The Full Federal Court’s ruling in late July 2026 closes this chapter of litigation, with the next step likely to be a potential High Court appeal by Hanson’s lawyers [1, 3].
