Albanese has everything to lose engaging in a fight with Hanson, but he may be drawn in anyway

‘It suits Pauline Hanson to attack Labor, in an attempt to attract headlines and drag Albanese into a slanging match.’ Composite: AAP/Guardian design

At the height of her 1998 re-election fight, Pauline Hanson was challenged to give her honest assessment of John Howard.

Two years on from her firebrand maiden speech, the One Nation leader was contesting the Queensland seat of Blair when she was bailed up by a group of punters at a country race meeting. The men had been drinking and one demanded to know if Howard was “a prick”.