Regrets, Hanson’s got a few, but she’s also chalking up wins

Over three decades in public life, there’s one word that Pauline Hanson has struggled with more than any other: sorry.

Refusing to apologise has been integral to Hanson’s brand as a political “outsider” – never mind that three decades in politics tends to qualify you for insider status – but the leader of a party that wants to win government can’t get away with what a lone senator can. The stakes are higher.

On Tuesday, we saw evidence of how Hanson is evolving as a party leader. She almost managed to be sorry, offering “regret” if people were offended by her describing Indigenous Australians as the “most primitive race” on a podcast last year.

And she offered a qualifier during a testing interview with News24’s Kieran Gilbert: “If we go back to the time of settlement in Australia, they were primitive compared to the settlers that came out here from England … I’m not talking those terms now.”

Moments later in the corridors of the press gallery, cameras and microphones jammed under her nose, Hanson was asked about her criticism of Anthony Albanese’s mother Maryanne living in public housing for the duration of her life.

Again, the One Nation leader offered a partial climb down: “I don’t think my comments were derogatory towards his mother at all. I was referring to housing commission [sic] at that time. So if he’s taken offence to it, well, I’m sorry for that.”

Both of her efforts were footballer’s apologies: there was no admission of guilt, a conditional “if” attached and only a tiny sliver of ground conceded to those offended.

Hanson even allowed that “I’ve always put my foot in my mouth” and that “I’m not the most eloquent speaker” while being interviewed on News24.

Over in the Coalition party room, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, following in the footsteps of colleagues Andrew Hastie, Garth Hamilton and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, told his colleagues that “our primary task is holding the ALP to account, developing our policies and replacing the government. However, we also have to hold One Nation to account when they misstep”.

Just for good measure, the opposition leader added that Hanson had failed to “meet the basic test of decency” and had left unanswered key questions about her promise to slash migration to Australia, with a plan some economists warn could trigger a recession .

While Anthony Albanese hasn’t hesitated to criticise Hanson, Taylor has been cautious about confronting her, unlike some of his colleagues, perhaps mindful of the fact that he is trying to win back Liberals who have switched to her camp.

His comments in the party room signal that he will no longer hesitate. Scrutiny of Hanson is only going to get more intense as the major parties continue to comb through her past commentary in long-forgotten podcasts and obscure interviews.

Last term, she could hold a press conference and nobody would listen. Now everything she’s ever said is fair game, just like any other political leader.

One Nation has been neck-and-neck for months with Labor and the Coalition in the polls, including in this week’s Resolve Political Monitor.