Pauline Hanson's lawyers have sent a defamation warning to Senator Lidia Thorpe, who claimed the One Nation leader was a "convicted racist", and to the Nine Network for broadcasting the remarks.
Hanson shared copies of the letters on X on Thursday afternoon in the wake of an interview Thorpe gave to Nine's Today show that morning.
In it, she referred to Hanson as a "convicted racist".
That followed a fiery day in the Senate on Wednesday where Thorpe ripped up a motion by Hanson on the chamber floor which sought to question . Payman was born in Afghanistan and , with the process made near impossible due to .
"Senator Hanson gets away with so much she is a convicted racist," Thorpe told the Today show on Thursday.
"She has ; she baits me regularly with racial taunts, and what she did to Senator Payman was question her legitimacy in this place."
Thorpe did not elaborate on what she meant by a "convicted racist", but Hanson was earlier this month when she told Muslim Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi to pack her bags and go back to Pakistan. This was a civil finding — not a criminal conviction — and Hanson has appealed the decision.
Hanson's lawyer, Anthony Jefferies from Gillis Delaney Lawyers, wrote in his letter to Thorpe that "no such conviction" against Hanson exists.
"It is highly irresponsible of you to have used this language on national television," Jefferies wrote in the letter.
"It cannot have occurred incorrectly given how self-evidently false your claim is.
"We require you to immediately and publicly withdraw the allegation that our client stands convicted of a criminal offence and to apologise to her for your inappropriate conduct."
And writing to Nine's Kiah Officer, legal counsel to the network, Jefferies said: "It is highly irresponsible of Nine to have broadcast this allegation on national television — uncorrected."
He also said Nine must withdraw the allegation and apologise to Hanson, and that must occur on the Today show on Friday morning. Both letters were titled "Defamation of Senator Pauline Hanson".
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, the Nine Network said: "TODAY wishes to clarify that Senator Hanson has not been criminally convicted of racism, and any suggestion to the contrary is unequivocally withdrawn."
SBS News has contacted Thorpe's office for comment.
'It's been a horrible week'
Thorpe for the remainder of the sitting week after ripping up the motion and giving senators the middle finger.
In a separate interview with the ABC on Thursday morning, Thorpe said: "I am not one to stand or sit silent and allow this to happen. I would do it again."
"It's been a horrible week, and when you're subjected to racism … I stand up against it. I ripped up a piece of paper."
She questioned parliament's response to racism and criticised being labelled the "naughty little Blak girl".
"They are quick to punish the Blak woman here all the time for calling it out, but I am responding to racism, and that's what they need to focus on," she said.
"It seems like there's one rule for white people who get away with racism, and there's one rule for us when we call that out: we're the ones that are the naughty little Blak girl."
Speaking to the motion that resulted in Thorpe's suspension, Government Senate leader Penny Wong said there had been "multiple instances of Senator Thorpe making inappropriate and sometimes abusive comments towards other senators".
"All Australians have a right to feel safe at work … this behaviour would not be tolerated in any workplace, and we will not tolerate it in our workplace," she said.
The motion passed 45 votes to 11, with the Greens Party voting against — in solidarity with their former colleague.
Government Senate leader Penny Wong said there had been "multiple instances of Thorpe making inappropriate and sometimes abusive comments towards other senators". Source: Getty / Martin Ollman
"They need to not allow Senator Hanson and others to spew hate speech in our workplace. Pauline Hanson has walked in there with a burqa. She constantly is across the floor spewing racism and disgusting violence towards us and anybody else who is not white," she said.
"That is not acceptable behaviour either. Why won't Wong and [Simon] Birmingham call that out?"
Thorpe said the incident was proof an open inquiry into racism in parliament was necessary.
The Senate voted on Monday to refer an inquiry into racism to an internal committee.
The suspension prevented Thorpe from moving a private member's bill on genocide on Thursday, which seeks to remove the attorney-general's power to block prosecution of genocide or war crimes.
Thorpe questioned the timing of the suspension.
"It is very convenient that I am suspended today when that bill was to be voted on," she said.
On Thursday morning, Thorpe entered the press gallery viewing area of the Senate, yelling a "free Palestine" chant. She then left the chamber.
