Key facts
- Pauline Hanson described Indigenous Australians as the "most primitive race on Earth" in a September 2025 podcast.
- Hanson issued a qualified apology, stating she was sorry "if I offended people" and that her intention was not to hurt anyone.
- Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy condemned the remarks as "totally outrageous" and "deeply hurtful."
- Opposition counterpart Jacinta Nampijinpa Price stated Hanson's comments demonstrated "wilful ignorance."
- Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe warned Hanson would continue to spread "nasty, poorly informed and harmful ideas."
Federal parliamentarians from across the political spectrum have condemned resurfaced comments by One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson, who labeled Indigenous Australians the "most primitive race on Earth." The comments, made on a September 2025 podcast and first reported by News24, have drawn widespread criticism. Hanson told News24 on Tuesday she regretted using the term if it upset people, only hours after refusing to deliver an apology over the remarks. "That’s not my intentions," she said. "That wasn’t my intentions, to hurt people." She added, "I’m not the most eloquent speaker in how I deliver something, what I say, and you know."
Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy described Hanson's remarks as "totally outrageous" and "deeply hurtful." McCarthy stated the comments were "completely baseless" and "dehumanise First Nations people in Australia."
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who previously supported Hanson, said the senator's comments demonstrated "wilful ignorance" and that there was "a hell of a lot more to Australia’s first people than simply what her remarks suggest."
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe warned that Hanson would continue to spread "nasty, poorly informed and harmful ideas" to rally her base and divide the country. Thorpe suggested the federal government could address racism in its digital duty of care plan. Hanson also appeared to walk back comments about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's mother, saying, "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."