Australia news live: Barnaby Joyce dogged by Tommy Robinson questions – and also by a dog – in spiky ABC interview

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has tried to defend party leader Pauline Hanson’s decision to meet far-right convicted criminal Tommy Robinson during a recent visit to the UK. Hanson and her colleagues have spent recent days clarifying, explaining or walking back headline-grabbing parts of the One Nation leader’s trip to Europe, including a podcast interview with Robinson. On ABC’s 7.30 program last night, Joyce first acknowledged Robinson had done “some things” that were “basically against the law” but went on to blame a “form of Balkanisation, where there’s not an assimilation” for “massive problems, and we saw that in Bondi”. The host, Sarah Ferguson , put to Joyce that Hanson was effectively endorsing a man with an extensive criminal record, who had been condemned by UK authorities for encouraging race riots and retribution against minorities. double quotation mark My question to you, Barnaby Joyce, is: is that not a red line? Joyce responded: double quotation mark I believe that there is not a condoning of every action of Tommy Robinson. I don’t think that was ever said. During the interview, Joyce also said that he did not know who had bankrolled Hanson’s trip.