Pauline Hanson offers qualified apologies over remarks about Indigenous Australians and Albanese’s mother

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson apologised if her description of Indigenous Australians as “primitive” caused offence, while saying she had not intended to hurt people. She also expressed regret if comments about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s late mother were offensive, as politicians and Indigenous leaders condemned her statements.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has offered qualified apologies after remarks about Indigenous Australians and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s late mother prompted widespread condemnation, ABC News reports.

Hanson said she would apologise if people had been offended by her use of the term “primitive” to describe Indigenous Australians. The comments came from a podcast recorded last September, in which she also criticised the attention given to Indigenous history in school curricula.

“I’ve always advocated, we are Australians all together and should be all treated equally on a needs basis, not about race,” Hanson told reporters, according to ABC News. Speaking separately to News24, she said she had “put my foot in my mouth” and argued that her comments referred to the period of colonisation rather than Indigenous Australians today. She said she regretted the wording because she did not intend to upset or hurt people.

The remarks drew criticism from politicians across the political divide. Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy described them as derogatory and racist, while other politicians called them vile and divisive. Indigenous author and human rights activist Thomas Mayo said Hanson’s view was not shared by Australians and pointed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ long-standing systems of law, governance, culture, trade and land management.

Hanson also addressed comments questioning why Albanese’s late mother, Maryanne, had lived for much of her life in public housing. She said the remarks were about public housing at the time and were not intended to be derogatory, adding that she was sorry if the prime minister had taken offence.

The comments about Maryanne Albanese prompted calls for Hanson to apologise directly to the prime minister. ABC News reported that Albanese, who has spoken publicly about growing up in public housing, said he was stunned by the attack and described his mother as a woman of great character.