Pauline Hanson says she’s sorry ‘if I offended people’ with Indigenous Australians remarks
Pauline Hanson has made a qualified apology after describing Indigenous Australians as the “most primitive race on Earth”, saying she did not intend to upset
Pauline Hanson has made a qualified apology after describing Indigenous Australians as the “most primitive race on Earth”, saying she did not intend to upset people and said she was sorry “if I offended people”. The One Nation leader has been under fire from all sides of the political spectrum after the comments from a podcast in September 2025 resurfaced. It followed widespread condemnation of Hanson over a string of other remarks in the past week, including her criticism of Anthony Albanese’s mother for living in public housing for decades, and a One Nation cartoon that repeatedly referred to Liberal SAS veteran Andrew Hastie as a ‘traitor’. In a September 2025 podcast, and first reported by News24 on Monday, Hanson complained about children learning about Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, and referred to First Nations people as the “most primitive race on Earth”.
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.” Hanson said she had “always put my foot in my mouth” when asked what she would say to NT Liberal senator, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, whom she has previously been supportive of. “I’m not the most eloquent speaker in how I deliver something, what I say, and you know,” Hanson said. Following the interview with News24, the Queensland senator briefly took questions from journalists in the corridors of Parliament House, where she again offered a qualified apology “If I offended people by using that [term, ‘primitive’], yes, I will apologise for that,” Hanson said. Hours earlier, Nampijinpa Price again rebuked Hanson, saying making Australia better was about working together rather than tearing people down on the basis of race.
“She did absolutely demonstrate wilful ignorance because there’s a hell of a lot more to Australia’s first people than simply what her remarks suggest,” she said. “I don’t care what excuses are being made. It was her tone and inflection throughout those remarks.” Crossbench senators said on Tuesday there were discussions about moving a censure motion against Hanson over the comments about Indigenous Australians but some questioned what it would achieve. The One Nation leader was censured earlier this year after “inflammatory and divisive” comments about Australian Muslims and again in late 2025 for her burqa stunt. The Indigenous affairs minister, Malarndirri McCarthy, also condemned Hanson’s comments again on Tuesday morning. She said the rare moment of unity across party lines against her “speaks volumes” as to why she should apologise. “Clearly the Senate can act, but I am personally calling out to Senator Hanson saying this is important,” she told ABC.
“What [she] said is deeply hurtful. It’s completely wrong. “Those comments were completely baseless. They harm. They dehumanise First Nations people in Australia.” During the brief press conference at Parliament House, Hanson also appeared to walked back the the comments about the prime minister’s mother. “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.
The BriefWire