One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce has defended Pauline Hanson’s comments that Australia’s problems began after the White Australia policy was abolished, insisting the party does not support the policy’s reintroduction.

Joyce was speaking in the Sunrise program after Hanson told far-right activist and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson that Australian immigration problems “began in 1973 with Gough Whitlam”.

Joyce said One Nation does not support the White Australia policy. Reducing the White Australia policy was a good thing.

“Over time we had a section of people who didn’t really want to assimilate into Australia, who didn’t work within the barriers of Australia and so we started to move away from Australian culture to having to embrace a whole range of views, some of which just aren’t conducive to an equal and tolerant society,” Joyce said.