One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts is facing calls to repudiate a Holocaust denier whose work he promoted in an essay attacking international bankers.
The Australian newspaper reported that Roberts cited The Secrets of the Federal Reserve, written by American antisemitic conspiracy theorist and Holocaust denier Eustace Mullins, in a 2013 essay alleging bankers had caused “havoc and misery” around the world.
The essay referred to several prominent Jewish figures, including George Soros, Henry Kissinger, Nathan Mayer de Rothschild, Paul Warburg and Marcus Goldman.
Mullins also wrote The Biological Jew, which described Jews as parasites and blamed them for the decline of Western culture.
Roberts has not withdrawn the essay. When questioned about Mullins in 2016, the year he entered the Senate, he said he had not known the author was antisemitic but continued to support The Secrets of the Federal Reserve.
“One of the things I’ve made very clear to people is that I never mention religion in relation to the banks, because I’ve got no evidence that says any specific religion is associated with the major international banks,” Roberts said at the time.
Liberal frontbencher Julian Leeser called on One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce to act.
“You can’t pretend to be the chief mourner at Bondi while indulging in conspiracy theories at the same time,” Leeser told The Australian.
“One million Australians fought the Nazi regime in World War II. And 40,000 gave their lives fighting the Nazis and their allies.
“We should honour their service by rejecting the very ideas they fought against.
“It is therefore sickening that a senator would seek to advance the work of a noted peddler of conspiracy theories and a Holocaust denier.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said politicians who promoted such material could not be taken seriously.
“No politician in Australia can be taken seriously if they subscribe to conspiracy theories or are enthusiastic followers of Holocaust deniers,” Wertheim said.
“It doesn’t matter how long ago these sorts of comments were made, they have never been repudiated, and they need to be.”
Roberts has also faced scrutiny over his support for American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who falsely claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre was staged.
He has separately declined to rule out the baseless claim that the December 2025 Bondi Beach terrorist attack was a “false flag” operation.
Fifteen people were killed and more than 40 injured in the attack on the Chanukah by the Sea celebration.
Barnaby Joyce distanced himself from Roberts’ views but said individual One Nation members were entitled to express their own opinions.
“I do not believe for one second that Sandy Hook was a red flag (sic), nor obviously was Bondi and I don’t believe that the US is a terrorist organisation,” Joyce told Sky News.
“Just because one member of One Nation says something, it doesn’t mean it’s policy.”
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor also criticised Roberts’ refusal to clearly reject the Bondi conspiracy theory.
“He himself hasn’t been clear about whether he thinks Bondi was a false flag operation,” Taylor said.
Roberts and Hanson were also approached for comment by The Australian.