Pauline Hanson has called on rogue One Nation colleague Rod Culleton to be a team player, ahead of the High Court ruling on his eligibility to run for parliament.
Senator Culleton will face a Court of Disputed Returns challenge on Wednesday, which could end his parliamentary career if it is found a larceny charge disqualified him from running for a West Australian seat at the July election.
Senator Hanson said her colleague had been through the party's candidate screening process and would make a good senator "if he could take direction".
"He doesn't like my authority," she told 2GB radio on Tuesday.
"I start talking to him and laying down some ground rules and he says: 'Stop, otherwise I am out of here'.
"I wish he would rein himself in and become a team player."
Senator Culleton has voted on the opposite side of the chamber to his party colleagues on several occasions since his election.
His replacement is likely to be his brother-in-law Peter Georgiou, who was second on the WA One Nation ticket at the election.
Senator Culleton had indicated he wanted to work with Mr Georgiou "so we are on the same merry-go-round", Senator Hanson said.
"I will deal with this - there are tougher things than Rod Culleton in this world."
Tensions between the pair boiled over on Tuesday afternoon with Senator Culleton releasing a statement to express his disappointment at the lack of support from his party leader and colleagues.
"I would have thought it reasonable to expect some measure of support or at the very least, some discretion and respect from the party leader and my party colleagues," he said.
"I'm still waiting for any indication of either. That's disappointing."
Landing at Canberra airport on Tuesday afternoon, Senator Culleton told reporters he was prepared for a fight.
"It's the guillotine tomorrow. Like Ned Kelly said, 'Such is life'," he said, mixing up his execution methods.
Asked whether Senator Hanson had thrown him under a bus, he said: "I would find it very hard for Pauline Hanson to throw me under a bus or a truck, considering I could grab the key."
The initial larceny charge that landed him in the situation related to the theft of a truck key.
Senator Culleton declined to say whether he might quit One Nation in order to progress issues of importance to him.
"I haven't come to politics to spin on wet grass - I've come here to do a job," he said.
