What was claimed
Pauline Hanson has announced she is facing a significant health challenge.
Our verdict
False. Senator Hanson has made no such announcement and the quote attributed to her is fabricated.
AAP FACTCHECK - A network of foreign-operated disinformation pages is sharing a fake story on social media that Pauline Hanson is dealing with a significant but unspecified health issue.
There's no evidence the One Nation leader has announced any such health issue.
The Facebook pages behind the false claims frequently post political disinformation about Australian politics and often target Senator Hanson.
They include pages called Pacific Ledger, Mood Space, Civic Lens and The Daily Brief, all run by users based in Vietnam, according to Meta's transparency data.
A post by The Daily Brief on October 25 claimed that Senator Hanson had broken her silence with a "reassuring personal update" about her health.
An image attached to the post includes a photo of Senator Hanson overlaid with the words “breaking news” and a statement attributed to her.
"I've had a few health challenges in my life, and right now I'm pushing through one more," Senator Hanson is quoted as saying.
"Your love and support mean everything to me and I'd appreciate it if you could spare a prayer not only for me, but for everyone facing their own battles. Let's lift each other up with kindness and hope."
The other Vietnamese-run pages published similar posts using the same fabricated quote.
The posts all direct users to a website that expands on the false claims.
Together, the posts have tens of thousands of views, and the comments suggest many social media users believe the quote is real.
“Wishing you all the best Pauline, take time out and relax it will help,” one user comments on the October 25 post.
“Love and prayers coming your way Pauline,” another user comments.
But there is no record of Senator Hanson making the quote on any of One Nation's social media pages, in parliament or through a party statement.
There are also no news reports about Senator Hanson sharing a health update of the type suggested by the post.
Senator Hanson’s office was contacted for comment but did not respond.
Senator Hanson is frequently targeted by political disinformation from foreign-run social media pages, including fabricated quotes and fake televised debates.
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