Based on reporting by Rhiannon Lewin, Joseph Olbrycht Palmer, and Joanne Williamson – The Advertiser, 31 July 2025

Australia’s youngest senator got more than she bargained for after taking a swipe at Pauline Hanson during a climate debate in the federal Senate.

As reported in The Advertiser on 31 July, 21-year-old South Australian Labor senator Charlotte Walker unloaded on One Nation’s Pauline Hanson over a motion that called on Australia to ditch its 2050 net zero emissions target. The motion, introduced by Hanson and supported by just a handful of conservative senators including, didn’t pass. The Liberals were too cowardly to support it, as were the Nationals. 

Walker, in what was described as a lame contribution, said Hanson's motion showed a “severe lack of knowledge” and a “complete disregard” for the next generation. According to The Advertiser, the rookie senator told the chamber, “Without a net zero target, there will be no Australian farmers, businesses or industries to support us.” She claimed Hanson had failed to “grasp” the consequences of climate change.

But Senator Hanson wasn’t taking that lying down.

Speaking with Sky News host Danica De Giorgio, Hanson responded bluntly to the criticism and made no apology for her position. She questioned Walker’s credentials and depth of understanding: “She said she grew up on the farm — a farm that uses diesel and petroleum products to actually do the farming. I don't think she really understands about what net zero is.”

Hanson didn't hold back. In remarks quoted by The Advertiser, she tore strips off the young senator, saying: “She’s no sooner out of bloody university and out of her nappies than she’s telling me I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, when I’ve been on the floor of parliament for the last nine years.”

The veteran senator also accused many parliamentarians of blindly following the political fashion of the day without knowing the facts. 

“They’re gutless, you know, they’re cowards,” she said, referring to Coalition MPs who wouldn’t support the motion. “Most of those parliamentarians have no idea about net zero … they can't debate you on the issue, they don't know the facts or figures.”

Walker may have been trying to establish herself with a bold speech, but Hanson made it clear that experience still counts. As she told Sky, “I don't take any notice of her, who's just trying to make her place in this parliament — and congratulations.”

The exchange made for lively viewing, and the generational clash between Hanson and Walker may well be a sign of things to come. But as far as this round went, Hanson delivered the knock-out line — and reminded Canberra that she's not afraid to speak her mind, no matter how trendy the opposition might sound.