One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has lashed out at Robert Irwin after the TV star threatened to sue her over a depiction of him in her cartoon YouTube series.
Hanson made a cartoon video mocking Queensland Tourism’s $9 million campaign which featured Robert Irwin and Bluey.
In the cartoon video posted on Hanson’s ‘Please Explain’ YouTube channel a cartoon Robert Irwin can be seen attempting to show Bluey around the state of Queensland.
In Hanson’s cartoon, the tour does not go to plan with cartoon Irwin getting attacked by local youths and accidentally ending up in a queue for a property rental rather than a queue for a theme park. The satirical cartoon is largely an attack on Queensland’s political leadership.
Following the publication of the video, lawyers representing Robert Irwin sent a letter to StepMates Studios, the production team behind the video, threatening to sue if the video is not removed.
Lawyer Zoe Naylor claims the cartoon is defamatory and involves the unauthorised use of her client’s image.
“You are potentially liable to our client in respect of defamation, deceptive use of a person’s image, passing off and misleading and deceptive conduct,” she wrote in the letter.
“We will commence legal action against you if you do not take down the video immediately.”
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Hanson hit back at Irwin, saying he needs to “lighten up”.
She also suggested his father, the late TV legend Steve Irwin, would not have reacted the same way.
“Lighten up Robert, your father, Steve, he was a larrikin, he had a laugh, he could take the mickey out of himself and you’re complaining about this.”
Hanson said the video is not about Robert Irwin and that he should be grateful to be in it for free.
“I’ve got members of parliament asking me when they get to be in the cartoon, we have people pay to get in it, so I’ve given him a free kick,” Hanson reportedly said.
Tourism and Events Queensland predicts Bluey’s World Brisbane, which opens in November, will generate more than $18 million for the visitor economy.
https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/queensland-government-taps-rob-irwin-and-bluey-for-9-million-tourism-campaign/
