Pauline Hanson slammed for shocking comments about Indigenous Australians
Pauline Hanson has expressed “regrets” over her description of Indigenous Australians as “the most primitive race on Earth” but has vowed to continue speaking out about the “third world conditions” and abuse endured by first nations people.
The One Nation Leader has faced widespread criticism this week following the resurfacing of comments she made to during an interview with the JJ Podcast a year ago, where she criticised the study of Indigenous history in schools.
“What the hell have they done in this country for, you know, supposedly 60,000 years? They never invented the wheel. There was nothing there. What are we actually holding up? A few, you know, rock paintings?” Senator Hanson said in September last year.
“Sorry, they’re the most primitive race on Earth, and we’re supposed to be holding up and saying what they’ve achieved. They’ve achieved nothing.”
In her first public appearance since the comments emerged, Senator Hanson resisted calls to apologise to Indigenous Australians, but said she “regrets” her comments “because I don’t want to upset people”.
“If I’ve offended people by using that, yes, I will apologise for that,” she told reporters.
“I’ve always advocated, we are Australians all together and should be all treated equally on a needs basis, not about race. And until we actually do that, we’re not going to move over what’s happened in the past.”
During an earlier interview with News24 the outspoken Queensland politician, who has for decades criticised government policies towards Indigenous Australian, did not address whether she would apologise for the comments.
“If we go back to the time of settlement in Australia, they were primitive compared to … the settlers that came out here from England. But I’m not talking those terms now.”
“I regret saying that because I don’t want to upset people. That’s not my intention. That wasn’t my intention, to hurt people.”
Senator Hanson also vowed to continue to speak out about “accountability” calling for an audit into Indigenous funding as well as “third world conditions” and abuse faced by Australia’s first nations community.
“Stop telling lies and stop the victimisation all the time. We’re teaching [kids] Aboriginal languages that no longer is going to give them a job. We’re not going to give them any future. We have to be realistic.”
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