Image from The Australian
By Helen Reynolds
On the opening day of the 48th Parliament, a striking gesture by Pauline Hanson and her One Nation senators – turning their backs during the Acknowledgement of Country – has reignited debates about respect, unity, and the acknowledgment of Australia’s First Australians. This act, performed alongside colleagues Malcolm Roberts, Warwick Stacey, and Tyron Whitten, was a deliberate protest against a tradition that honours the Indigenous custodians of the land.
Pauline Hanson has long been a polarising figure, with a history of statements and actions that critics have labeled as racist. From her 1996 maiden speech warning of being “swamped by Asians” to her recent opposition to multiculturalism and Islamic immigration, her rhetoric has often drawn accusations of divisiveness. Yet, the Acknowledgement of Country is not a political manifesto – it is a brief, symbolic gesture recognising the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples as traditional custodians and paying respect to elders past and present. Standing respectfully for a few minutes is a small act of acknowledgment; turning one’s back, however, leaves a lasting impression of rejection.
This incident raises a broader question: why can’t Australia, as a nation, embrace respect for all cultures and all people? The Acknowledgement of Country is not about exclusion but about inclusion, inviting all Australians to reflect on a shared history that spans 65,000 years. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has celebrated this tradition as a positive starting point for parliamentary proceedings, while Opposition Leader Sussan Ley emphasised its role in committing to improve lives for Indigenous Australians. In contrast, Hanson’s claim that it tells non-Indigenous Australians they don’t belong overlooks the intent to unite rather than divide.
Respect does not diminish one group’s identity to elevate another; it enriches the fabric of a multicultural society. Turning away from this acknowledgment sends a message that some histories and cultures are less worthy of recognition. As a nation, we must ask whether such actions foster the unity we claim to value or deepen the cultural divides we seek to bridge. The choice to stand together, even for a moment, could be a step toward a more inclusive future – while turning away risks etching division into our collective memory forever.
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When Western governments disrespect the human rights of the indigenous Palestinians while those Western governments trash international laws and conventions is it any wonder that disrespect for Australia's indigenous people plays out in parliament. The world has turned its back on civilised norms. The West shows its double standards and hypocrisy when it calls out its go to enemy,Russia, while it enables its friend and ally to commit evil genocide and vile and racist apartheid rule.
I can only hope that all those who vote for this white trash can see this action as one of total disregard for the original custodians of this country and that next time they will vote accordingly.
We didn't expect any other type of behaviour from this quartet of racist slime creatures from the planet Anus did we?
Disrespectful scum. They should have been ejected from the Senate. No doubt those who voted for these racist pigs will applaud their actions but I would hope that the vast majority of Australians would condemn the actions as straight-out racism as well as a failure to understand the simple meaning of the welcome to country ceremony.
Mehreen Faruqi is censured for holding up a sign, yet this tetrad of twonks gets away with blatant disrespect of this nature.
It's all theatre with One Nation but Bob Katter stood alongside his fellow crossbenchers as House of Representatives clerk Claressa Surtees asked the MPs to swear their allegiance to King Charles, his heirs and successors.
"No, I swear allegiance to the Australian people," Katter said, before repeating it a second time.
I happen to agree with Katter (he's my local Member) and I find it hard to see why we should be pledging allegiance to the British Monarch. In the same position as Bob, I would do exactly the same.
I find it strange that a party which calls itself “One Nation” thrives on division.
Me thinks a name change to “One Divided Nation” should be contemplated. It has more sincerity about it.
I hardly expected anything else from this small repulsive Party which is so pitifully ignorant about history that they are unable to recognise sixty five thousand years history of the people who inhabited and cared for Australia.
Pauline's ancestors 60 to 65 thousand years ago were Neanderthals.
Some might argue that not much has changed for her and her followers.
To turn their backs on a Parliamentary process is not acceptable. Who votes for these racist brainless people?
White one-nation Australians were assured that there are no throwbacks and Aboriginal people would die out and disappear, leaving one nation.
The Aboriginal people betrayed the one nation and, not only didn't disappear, but multiplied and used the constitution to destroy one nation.
Even when the constitution requires parliament to make laws specifically for Aboriginal people 60% of one nation voted no to allowing Aboriginal people any input into the laws.
After such a knock back, Aboriginal people still are acknowledged before the one nation moves.
WTF can one nation do but turn their backs?
Reading the comments here proves multiculturalism will never work and never has. You are either an Australian, or your not. Society building is about assimilation not cultural division.