One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson has played down a clip of her most senior MP shouting at his dog on live TV, although she conceded the behaviour was “unusual”.
Barnaby Joyce on Monday was grilled by ABC’s 7.30 about Ms Hanson’s recent trip to the UK, where she met anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.
Part-way through the interview with host Sarah Ferguson, Mr Joyce broke off from his answer to shout at his dog to sit down.
Asked about the bizarre moment at a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Hanson said: “What is your problem with that?”.
“I don’t know what the situation was, I don’t know what sort of day he had, or what was going on around him,” she said.
“It’s unusual for anyone doing an interview to turn and tell you dog to keep quiet.”
Ms Hanson was also probed on the matter earlier in the day during a question-and-answer session with the West Australian.
She laughed with the audience at a clip of the incident.
“I laughed, it’s funny, that’s (Mr Joyce), you know,” she said.
“This is why I love the people around me, we’re just human, we’re just human, okay? The dog’s fine.”
Mr Joyce on Monday night was left to mount a defence of divisive “white Australia” comments Ms Hanson made in England.
He broke off from the discussion to deal with an apparent distraction from his dog at one point to shout for his dog to “sit down”.
He added “sorry, it’s a dog,” before resuming the interview.
As Ferguson pressed him on a mass deportation manifesto presented to his leader while in the UK, Mr Joyce apologised for his dog again.
“I have to apologise for this dog, which has decided to bail up,” he said.
Ms Ferguson instructed him: “Don’t worry about the dog, just answer the question”.
Mr Joyce then told the host not to be “rude”.
“Don’t be rude, otherwise this interview will come to a grinding halt, Sarah,” he said.
The interview came after Ms Hanson took a highly-publicised trip to England, allegedly part-organised by Channel 7.
Mr Joyce defended Ms Hanson’s decision to record a podcast with far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Joyce rejected suggestions Ms Hanson had deliberately sought out the interview.
“I don’t believe that it was a carte blanche case that One Nation wanted that meeting,” he said.
“I think it was basically suggested by (Channel Seven’s) Spotlight, agreed to by One Nation.”
Asked whether Ms Hanson should have been aware of Robinson’s background before meeting him, Mr Joyce said she had not travelled to Britain “with a bio of everything that Tommy Robinson had done”.
He acknowledged Robinson’s criminal history but argued Ms Hanson should not be judged as endorsing his actions.
“I acknowledge there are some things Tommy Robinson has done which are, basically against the law,” he said.
“I mean, you can’t kick a policeman in the head.
“I’m not suggesting that there’s any condonement of that whatsoever.”
Instead, Mr Joyce argued Robinson’s popularity reflected broader divisions within Britain.
