Labor condemns One Nation cartoons depicting Penny Wong being murdered as Hanson says videos ‘not going anywhere’

Foreign affairs minister says party’s social media content promotes division and violence as One Nation leader claims Liberal and Labor want cartoons censored

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Labor has accused Pauline Hanson of stoking division and violence in cartoons showing attacks on the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, as One Nation defends its social media content, admitting it might not always be “in good taste”.

As parliament grapples with the safety of politicians in the wake of an alleged attack against Indi MP Helen Haines last week, cartoons produced by Hanson have come under increased scrutiny.

A 2022 episode of Hanson’s Please Explain series shows Wong being killed by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese. She is depicted slumped face-down over a desk, covered in blood and with a knife protruding from her back.

Scenes in Hanson’s Super Progressive Movie, released in February, show Wong being beheaded by Albanese, who believes he is killing Hanson with an axe. After Wong’s dismembered head drops to the floor, the One Nation leader quickly reveals herself to be hiding nearby.

On Sunday, the Australian federal police commissioner, Krissy Barrett, urged politicians to use respectful and cautious language, drawing a direct link between overheated political rhetoric including the Hanson cartoons and the rise in violent threats against politicians in Australia.

“It tells you everything about One Nation that they are happy to keep depicting this kind of violence,” she told Guardian Australia.

“Australians deserve elected representatives who are working to improve their lives, instead of promoting division, violence and personal attacks.”

A spokesperson for Hanson provided comments she made over the weekend, when she alleged Labor and Liberal “dirt units” were already back at work after the Haines attack.

“The Please Explain cartoons have nothing to do with the tragic attack on Helen Haines. They will not be going anywhere. Liberal and Labor politicians want our cartoons censored because they don’t like the scrutiny,” Hanson said.

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On Monday, the creator of the cartoons, Mark Nicholson, refused to apologise for another episode making light of Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie’s health conditions.

That episode featured a depiction of Lambie saying: “I can’t laugh because of my prolapsed vagina.”

But Nicholson, who is also a candidate for One Nation at the upcoming Victorian state election, told the ABC he wanted to pick on people with public profiles.

“People who are powerful need to get a reality check,” he said.

“If you’re in the public realm, you open yourself up to praise, but you also open yourself up to parody. That’s the price you pay.”