'Parents and teachers are thanking me': Pauline Hanson stands by autism comments

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is standing by her comments that children with autism should be removed from mainstream classrooms.

The politician claims parents and teachers are thanking her for opening up discussion on the topic.

Senator Hanson made the comments during her announcement that One Nation will back the Federal Government's $18.6 bullion school funding package.

She said "we need to get rid of" autistic children from mainstream classrooms as teachers spend too much time with them, leaving other students waiting.

Hanson faced a massive backlash but said she would "stand by" her comments, with parents and teachers writing to thank her.

She said one teacher wrote to her that the issue comes to a head when there is lack of classroom support for students with autism.

"I have a lot of teachers and parents who are actually thanking me for my comments and that it's now out in the open to dicuss it, to address the problem, instead of burying it," she said in a press conference on Thursday.

"One note from a teacher says she is dealing with it and doesn't know how to deal with it at all."

Hanson doubles down on autism call

Hanson claimed the media was taking what she said "out of context".

"I'm not saying they [children with autism] don't belong there [in mainstream], I'm saying provide other resources if they need that other special attention," she said.

"There's different levels of autism and parents will tell you that.

"I can't please everyone."

Hanson said she hadn't written a speech on the matter but that thought it was a good time to bring it up.

“These kids have a right to an education by all means, but if there’s a number of them these children should actually go into a special classroom, looked after and given that special attention,” she said in the Senate on Wednesday.

“It’s no good saying we have to allow these kids to feel good about themselves and we don’t want to upset them and make them feel hurt."

Federal Member demands apology

Meanwhile, Federal Member for Lindsay, Emma Husar has demanded the One Nation leader issue an apology for the comments she made.

Ms Husar - who has a son with autism, Mitch, 10, - said children with autism "are still better" than Hanson "on her best day".

“I’m disappointed that in 2017 we’ve got people like Senator Hanson sitting over there in the Senate making ill-informed comments about kids that are autistic, that they don’t belong in a mainstream class and calling for them to be segregated,” she said.

“Senator Hanson’s comments yesterday are just like all the other comments that Senator Hanson makes.

“They call on people to be divided and to segregate people who are different.

“They call on people who are ill-informed to make uneducated comments like those.”