澳大利亚One Nation党领袖保琳·汉森因动用党资金支付伦敦高端酒店费用而陷入争议。[1]汉森承认使用党资金而非个人资金支付了Conrad Saint James Hilton酒店的住宿费用，该酒店每晚收费900美元，预订时间为7月15日起共5天。[1]
对于引发争议的酒店预订，汉森将责任归咎于电视合作伙伴的退出。[1]她声称原本计划由Channel Seven电视台承担旅行费用，但该台退出资金支持，迫使One Nation承担所有旅行成本。[1]不过Channel Seven发言人否认了这一说法，表示该台"只支付了附带费用，包括生产用车辆、摄影用酒店房间和工作人员安全保护，但没有支付One Nation的任何旅行费用"。[1]
关于伦敦酒店房间的使用情况，汉森否认在赴意大利期间留下该房间空置。[1]她声称向记者提供了Expedia发票证明在意大利期间已取消伦敦住宿。[1]汉森从伦敦至西西里的往返机票由里纳哈特(Rinehart)支付，出发日期为7月11日，返回日期为7月16日。[1]与此同时，汉森的"Fire the Liar"竞选活动募得新增500万美元资金。[1]
Pauline Hanson, leader of Australia's One Nation party, has acknowledged using party funds to pay for a five-star hotel stay in London, sparking controversy over the use of organizational resources.[1] The booking at the Conrad Saint James Hilton covered five nights starting July 15, with nightly rates of USD 900.[1]
Hanson attributed the decision to Channel Seven's withdrawal of financial support. She stated that the television network had originally planned to cover travel expenses but pulled out, forcing One Nation to absorb all costs associated with the trip.[1] However, a Channel Seven spokesperson disputed this characterization, stating that the network only covered ancillary expenses including production vehicles, photography accommodation, and staff security provisions, but did not fund any One Nation travel expenses.[1]
Regarding claims that the London hotel room was left vacant while Hanson traveled to Italy, she denied the allegation and said she had provided journalists with an Expedia invoice proving she cancelled the London accommodation during her time in Italy.[1] Hanson's travel was partially funded by Rinehart, who covered the return airfare from London to Sicily, with departure on July 11 and return on July 16.[1] Meanwhile, Hanson's "Fire the Liar" campaign raised an additional USD 5 million in new funds.[1]