Lambie challenges One Nation candidate over cartoon mocking her health
Cartoon creator Mark Nicholson refused to apologise, while Jacqui Lambie said Pauline Hanson had not apologised to her personally.
Senator Jacqui Lambie has questioned whether One Nation candidate Mark Nicholson is fit for parliament after he refused to apologise for a cartoon that mocked her medical condition.
Nicholson, who is seeking an upper house seat in Victoria, defended his role in satirising public figures. He denied trivialising Lambie’s condition and argued that the episode had drawn attention to it.
One Nation published the video in its Please Explain cartoon series but has since removed it. It depicted Lambie referring to her vaginal prolapse, which the Tasmanian senator had disclosed to the Senate in August.
Pauline Hanson’s initial response was to defend the video, though she subsequently acknowledged she had not watched it. The One Nation leader later apologised and criticised the way it had been made.
Lambie said no personal apology had come from Hanson. She also challenged Hanson’s leadership, questioning why material bearing her name had been published without her viewing it.
Lambie criticised Nicholson’s understanding of women’s health problems and said his comments demonstrated a lack of maturity for political office. Nicholson co-founded Melbourne creative agency Stepmates Studios with Seb Peart. Its 25-person team produces the Please Explain series.
