Insults fly as Barnaby Joyce defends Pauline Hanson for criticising PM’s mother over public housing record

Pauline Hanson’s criticism of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s mother living in public housing has continued to cause a torrent of criticism, which Barnaby Joyce has described as “socialist”.

The One Nation leader sparked a political firestorm after she described the prime minister as “pathetic” for referencing his childhood living in a Housing Commission property on a podcast in February.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: PM losing trust with voters amid Hanson’s attack on his mother

“Oh, I’ve actually grew up in a Housing Commission house. You have no idea how hard it is to grow up in a Housing Commission house. Oh, my God. Don’t talk about a prime minister,” Hanson said.

“He said his mother lived in the same one she was born in for 65 years.

Maryanne’s extended stay in public housing was granted as she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis from her 30s, making it difficult for her to work until her death in 2002.

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce defended Hanson’s comments on Sunrise on Monday morning, following a weekend of criticism from political opponents.

“Well, I’ve said quite clearly that I don’t know the prime minister’s mother. I’m sure she’s a very, very good woman,” he said.

“But the whole, you know, log cabin story of living in a Housing Commission home that the prime minister rolls out over and over again, for a person who owns multiple houses ... It just doesn’t wash.”

Sunrise host Nat Barr pressed Joyce on whether Hanson should apologise for her comments, adding: “the poor woman (Maryanne Albanese) was crippled for most of her life”.

“Well, that’s really a question for Pauline to answer,” Joyce responded.

“I’m not going to start answering questions on anybody else in the parliament.”

He then doubled down on Hanson’s stance that the government shouldn’t allow people to live in public housing for decades.

But Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek slammed Joyce and Hanson’s stance on the issue, telling Sunrise the PM’s upbringing contrasted vastly from Joyce’s.