Anning told 3AW radio on Sunday evening that despite attending the rally he wasn't "associating" with anyone there.



"I wasn't associating with anyone in particular," he said. "I'm not part of any of those groups. I went down there to represent the people of Queensland who support me."

He said he would attend a similar rally in the future.

"I'm quite happy I went to the rally, I don't regret anything," he said. "If there's a group of hard-working Australians who want to organise themselves and complain about the situation in the country ... sure I'll go to those events."

Anning will charge almost $3,000 for flights and cars for the trip to taxpayers, claiming it as official business, according to Nine. When asked why taxpayers should pay for it, the senator responded: "Thank you very much for that, that's very kind of you."

Anning has been widely condemned by government ministers and the opposition for attending the rally, including opposition leader Bill Shorten.