One Nation MP rejects racial slurs while questioning uncorroborated claim

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce says a racial slur against an Indigenous journalist would be unacceptable, while questioning an allegation about an incident at party headquarters. The claim has not been corroborated in the available reporting.

Former party staffer Charles Swindon alleged that an unnamed person used the slur while watching journalist John-Paul Janke question Pauline Hanson during a televised National Press Club address in June. Swindon said he witnessed the incident. He has since been dismissed from his party role.

Joyce said he was at the press club, not headquarters, and could not verify the account. He questioned whether the former staffer's departure could have affected his view of the party. At the same time, Joyce said he would not use or tolerate such language and would challenge anyone making the comment around him.

Hanson's office declined to respond directly and referred questions to party headquarters, which had not answered when the report was published. The allegation does not identify a confirmed speaker or establish that the incident occurred. It is separate from the controversy over a NSW candidate's podcast comments about multicultural grants.