Key facts
- The rise of Pauline Hanson and One Nation is fueling racism, particularly against First Nations people, an Australian parliamentary inquiry was told.
- Indigenous journalists warned that racism, including online hate, has escalated significantly, with concerns it is leading to in-person violence.
- Tanya Hosch believes Pauline Hanson's public speech and rhetoric express racism and encourage similar behavior.
- John-Paul Janke stated that the racism he experienced in the 1970s is now being directed at his children.
- Journalists highlighted a lack of accountability for media outlets that publish hate speech, suggesting it is profitable.
A federal parliamentary inquiry into racism directed at First Nations people in Australia has heard that the rise of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party is contributing to an increase in racist sentiment and behavior.
Tanya Hosch, former inclusion and social policy manager at the AFL, told the committee that while she had not met Hanson, she believed the politician's public speech and rhetoric expressed racism and encouraged similar actions, which she considered well-documented.
John-Paul Janke, national Indigenous editor at National Indigenous Television, stated that racism and online hate have flourished, particularly following the failed Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023. He noted an alarming escalation of online racial slurs and coordinated attacks targeting Indigenous voices, warning that online racism is now translating into in-person violence. Janke, a Wuthathi and Meriam man, expressed distress that the racist slurs he faced in the 1970s are now being used against his children.
Channel 10 journalist Narelda Jacobs and former Channel 9 presenter Brooke Boney also testified, discussing the virulent rise of racism and online hatred. Jacobs, a Noongar woman, pointed to a lack of accountability and regulation within the media sector for outlets publishing hate speech, suggesting that such content drives engagement and sales for these organizations.