QUEENSLAND—In a meticulous audit of her recent travel expenses, Pauline Hanson has clarified that each taxpayer-funded trip around Australia—from campaign stops to dinner at the Hobart Hungry Jack’s—was indeed ‘vital parliamentary business,’ especially when coinciding with lucrative One Nation fundraisers and photo ops with her daughter, Lee Hanson.

“If talking to my loyal supporters and graciously accepting donations isn’t official government work, then what is?” Senator Hanson explained Thursday, while filing a reimbursement request for $1,200 in Uber Black rides to ‘several essential meet-and-greets’ at suburban RSL clubs. “Frankly, I’m surprised Parliament hasn’t made fundraising mandatory.”

Despite billing the public nearly $4,500 for trips that aligned with her daughter’s Senate campaign, Hanson stood firm, noting, “The people of Australia elected me to bring transparency, so I’m making sure every dollar I spend on flights, hotels, and moderately priced campaign canapés is clearly labelled as ‘for the people.’”

Parliamentary rules stipulate that public money should not fund party events, but senior One Nation aide Barry “Bazza” O’Reilly believes the system is misunderstood. “If taxpayers didn’t pay for Pauline to attend sausage sizzles in Burnie, how would democracy survive?” he asked.

Political analyst Dr. Cheryl Blenkinsop agreed. “It’s a time-honoured tradition for politicians to see their own events as Australia’s business. The mistake, really, is getting caught.”

When reached for comment, Lee Hanson simply replied, “Mum said it was fine.”