Pauline Hanson struggles to name leaders of Australian allies: 'I can't remember'

By CAITLIN POWELL - NEWS REPORTER Published: 05:13, 14 August 2026 | Updated: 05:23, 14 August 2026 One Nation leader Pauline Hanson struggled to name the leaders of Indonesia and Japan, both vital allies for Australia, during an interview.  The moment was captured in a promotional clip published on Thursday night for Chris Kenny's News24 documentary, The Fight for the Right. 'If you became prime minister, wouldn't you want to visit Jakarta fairly quickly and meet with the President there?' Kenny said. Hanson said: 'I don't know if I'd say I want to.' The broadcaster then asked whether she knew who the President, Prabowo Subianto, is. Hanson said 'no'.  'No, I don't know his name... I can't remember his name,' she said. Kenny pressed further, saying 'You can't remember the name of the President of Indonesia,' to which Hanson replied: 'No, I can't.' 'What about the Prime Minister of Japan?' Kenny said. The party leader hesitated and said she 'can't say'. Japan's Prime Minister is Sanae Takaichi. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson struggled to name the leaders of Indonesia and Japan during an interview with News24's Chris Kenny Hanson said she couldn't remember the name of Japan's Prime Minister is Sanae Takaichi (pictured with Anthony Albanese in May 2026) Hanson also said she could not recall the name of the President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto Should political leaders be held accountable for not knowing key foreign leaders’ names? What's your view?'You can't remember her name either? You could tell us who the President of China is,' Kenny then said. 'Xi Jinping,' Hanson responded. Hanson and One Nation have faced increased scrutiny as the party has repeatedly out-polled the major parties. In a Newspoll for The Australian between Monday and Friday last week, One Nation's primary vote remained ahead of the Coalition's at 29 per cent, compared to the Opposition's 18 per cent.  Labor recorded a primary vote of 29 per cent; the last time primary support in the poll fell to this level was in mid 2013, which could concern leader Anthony Albanese.  Opposition leader Angus Taylor's personal rating has jumped from a low of -21 in July to -12 in the latest poll. Pauline Hanson's personal rating slipped three points in the same period from a neutral 0 to -3. Albanese maintained his lead when voters were asked who they preferred as Prime Minister, at 46 per cent.  Hanson ranked second at 31 per cent while Taylor came last at 23 per cent.  When the question was narrowed to just Albanese or Hanson as preferred Prime Minister, 56 per cent chose Albanese while 44 per cent backed Hanson.