Pauline Hanson gives partial apology to Indigenous Australians following ‘primitive’ comments

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 on Tuesday, the outspoken Queensland politician who has for decades criticised government policies towards Indigenous Australians, 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.”

On Tuesday the Commissioners responsible for First Peoples social justice and combating race discrimination lashed out at Senator Hanson for what they condemned as her “racist, dehumanising comments”.

“This country prides itself on shared values of fairness, dignity and respect. The Senator’s comments utterly contradict these values and have no place in the national conversation,’ said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss.

“Such commentary is a tactic to divide us at a time when we need to come together. In fact, people have come together over the past 24 hours, across the political spectrum, to criticise the Senator’s comments.”

As well as expressing “regrets” for her comments towards Indigenous Australians, Senator Hanson on Tuesday also offered a qualified apology to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, after criticising his mother for spending decades in public housing.

“I don’t think my comments were derogatory towards his mother at all. I was referring to housing commission at that time. So if he’s taken offence to it, well, I’m sorry for that,” she said.

Appearing on a podcast with Karl Stefanovic in February, Senator Hanson criticised Mr Albanese’s mother Maryanne for the amount time she lived in public housing describing it as “not on”.