Pauline Hanson has expressed regret for describing Indigenous Australians as “the most primitive race on Earth”, while stopping short of an unconditional apology and promising to continue speaking about what she called “third world conditions” and abuse affecting First Nations people.
The One Nation leader faced widespread criticism after remarks from an interview with the JJ Podcast resurfaced. In the interview, recorded in September last year, she questioned the teaching 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.
“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, the Queensland senator said she regretted the wording because she did not want to upset people.
“If I’ve offended people by using that, yes, I will apologise for that,” she told reporters. She said she had always argued that Australians should be treated equally “on a needs basis, not about race”.
During an earlier interview, Senator Hanson said Indigenous Australians had been primitive compared with settlers from England at the time of settlement, but added: “I’m not talking those terms now.” She also said: “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 has nevertheless vowed to keep speaking about what she described as accountability issues, including calling for an audit of Indigenous funding. She also criticised the teaching of Aboriginal languages, saying it would not provide children with jobs or a future.
“Stop telling lies and stop the victimisation all the time,” she said. “We have to be realistic.”
