ABC host Patricia Karvelas has denied she suggested Saturday’s win in Farrer would “legitimise” One Nation for voters.
Ms Karvelas made the claim during the national broadcaster’s election night coverage as polls closed and Pauline Hanson’s party appeared on the brink of a historic win in the NSW seat.
Despite repeating the claim several times, she told One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce she had been “misquoted”.
“We have legitimised ourselves,” Mr Joyce jokingly quipped at the start of the interview on Tuesday’s Afternoon Briefing.
“Did you? Do you feel legitimised?” Ms Karvelas replied.
The One Nation MP remarked: “Well I didn’t know we were illegitimate beforehand.”
“You’re referring to comments I made on Saturday night, where I was misquoted by your people,” she said.
“No, I watched it,” Mr Joyce said.
But the ABC host claimed: “You clipped out the other bit where I said Coalition MPs believe that this legitimises you.”
On Saturday, Ms Karvelas was discussing the Coalition’s decision to preference One Nation over independent Michelle Milthorpe with co-host David Speers.
“It was actually people like Ron Boswell who was a very well known National who campaigned to put One Nation last, so that’s the history, that you’ve got the most conservative people who believed it was a big and dangerous mistake to legitimise One Nation and to embolden One Nation,” Ms Karvelas said.
“Here we’ve had (Opposition Leader) Angus Taylor make a deliberate decision to preference One Nation above the independent, which tonight could really be one of the reasons they get across the line.”
The ABC host went on to repeat the suggestion One Nation’s success in Farrer would “legitimise” them.
“We’ll see how the votes come through but that will be key, and that will legitimise them,” she said.
On another occasion during the broadcast, Karvelas used the term again.
“I used the term earlier on in the broadcast the permission structure — if they are able to win their first lower house seat, that begins the process of legitimising them.
“In other electorates where they may run, voters thinking well it’s happened before, it’s normal now, you start normalising something.”
After Ms Karvelas’ comments aired, Ms Hanson accused the national broadcaster of “sheer arrogance” for framing One Nation as an illegitimate political entity before the party’s win in Farrer.
“Isn’t this a democracy? Don’t you put your policies forward and what you want to do for the country, isn’t it up to the people? Or are we a third world country? (Do) we have no right to go out there and express what we want to for the country.
“This way, they’ll lose. I’m telling you, this sheer arrogance from both sides, that’s why they will lose. People want down-to-earth, common-sense people who are really there to fight for them. That’s what it’s about.”