Pauline Hanson claimed $16,000 for private charter despite claiming floods tour was at ‘no cost to taxpayer’

One Nation leader and Barnaby Joyce flew on Gina Rinehart’s plane from the Sunshine Coast to Mount Isa before taking charter to tour flood-affected communities

Pauline Hanson billed taxpayers almost $16,000 in private charter flights to travel around flood-affected Queensland on the suggestion of billionaire Gina Rinehart, despite previously claiming the trip was at “no cost to the taxpayer”.

In January, Hanson and Barnaby Joyce flew on Rinehart’s luxury Gulfstream G700 from the Sunshine Coast to Mount Isa, after which they travelled on charter flights to flood-affected communities around Julia Creek to meet local mayors.

Explaining her reasons for the trip, Hanson told the 2 Worlds Collide podcast in February she and Joyce had accepted an offer from Rinehart to fly them up to visit the area.

“Barnaby and I were visiting her [Rinehart] in Queensland and of course the floods happened up in Julia Creek,” Hanson said.