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Marnie Laree Davis – executive member of the Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia has questioned why the official censure of Senator Pauling Hanson last week did not include her remarks about First Nations People.
Staff writer
Senator Pauline Hanson of One Nation has been involved in several high-profile incidents in parliament in recent weeks.
Her remarks have been condemned by First Nations leaders and fellow parliamentarians, including the Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia but a formal censure did not include reference to the Senator’s slurs against First Nations people.
On March 2, 2026, during a heated debate regarding international affairs (specifically US-Israel strikes on Iran), Senator Hanson called Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung woman, a “bitch” across the chamber.
Senator Thorpe raised a point of order, stating she had been called the slur by “the racist” (referring to Hanson).
Senator Hanson stormed out of the chamber, later offering a “partial apology” – she was sorry “if the public heard me.”
Rather than retract the insult Senator Hanson said she’d had “a gutful” of Senator Thorpe.
Senator Hanson gave a speech in the Senate, which she amplified via social media, critical of Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country ceremonies.
She said “Welcome to Country” was invented in the 1970s by entertainer Ernie Dingo and was not an ancient tradition.
Senator Hanson said such ceremonies were”divisive,” “performative,” and used for “political indoctrination” to make non-Indigenous Australians feel like they don’t belong.
The One Nation Senator said she had turnedher back during parliamentary ceremonies and encouraged others to refuse participation.
During a Senate debate on the Closing the Gap report, Hanson made several inflammatory claims about First Nations communities.
She repeated claims that “children as young as two are being raped out there,” suggesting that “cultural background” was a reason people were afraid to speak out.
She characterised the Indigenous support sector as a “corrupt industry” and argued that “race-based laws” and “special treatment” were the primary reasons for the failure to close the gap, rather than systemic disadvantage or historical dispossession.
Continuing a theme from her “No” campaign during the 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum, Hanson reiterated that providing any specific First Nations representation or “Voice” constitutes a form of “apartheid.”
Indigenous leaders said the comparison was deeply offensive, trivialised the brutal history of South African apartheid and ignored the unique status of First Nations people as traditional owners.
Censure excludes First Nations slights
The Senate formally censured Senator Hanson on March 2, 2026. However, the censure motion focused on comments she made questioning whether there were any “good Muslims”.
The debate over the censure did include history of “divisive and inflammatory” rhetoric toward Indigenous Australians.
IAPA spokesperson, Marnie Laree Davis said Hanson’s remarks “should concern every Australian”.
“The racist rhetoric directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is not only still present in this country, it is escalating.
“The speech delivered by Pauline Hanson about Indigenous Australians was deeply offensive and harmful. It was a stark reminder that some uneducated political leaders still feel comfortable spreading dangerous stereotypes about our people.
“As an Aboriginal woman, and as the Queensland candidate and Executive Committee Member of the Indigenous – Aboriginal Party of Australia, I cannot stay silent when racism is given a platform in the highest chamber of this nation.”
Laree Davis said she acknowledged independent Senator Lidia Thorpe for standing up and challenging the racism that was allowed to be voiced in Parliament.
“Without strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices prepared to confront racism, we risk sliding backwards, back toward the thinking that once underpinned the White Australia Policy and the ongoing impacts of colonisation that our people still live with today.
“There is also a long and troubling history in this country of politicians and powerful media voices racially profiling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, slandering and dehumanising our communities through harmful stereotypes and deficit narratives.
“For decades, these portrayals have been used to shape public opinion and justify policies that continue to disadvantage our people.
“The continual racial profiling of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people manipulates public perception across Australia.
“Many Australians are exposed to narrow and negative representations in media reporting, which can create a distorted understanding of who we are as people, our culture, and the realities our communities face.
“These narratives do real harm, they reinforce racism, divide communities, and silence the truth about the ongoing impacts of colonisation and systemic inequality.
New parliamentary inquiry
“This week the Federal Parliament announced the Inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, being conducted by the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.
“The Indigenous – Aboriginal Party of Australia supports this inquiry – something our people and our communities have been calling for over decades. However, this inquiry must not become another report that gathers dust. It must lead to real accountability.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices from across this country must be heard, respected and included in the decision-making that shapes the implementation of policies, legislation and protections against racism. Our communities must be part of designing the solutions: not simply the subjects of another investigation.
“Australia often speaks about reconciliation, yet our actions continue to fall short. When we compare ourselves with our neighbours in Aotearoa New Zealand and the political representation and recognition of Māori peoples, it is clear Australia remains decades, if not a century behind.
“This is not just an Aboriginal issue. This is an Australian issue,” she said. “If we are serious about justice, equality and human rights in this country, Australians must speak up and stand beside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in calling out racism wherever it appears in Parliament, in media, in workplaces and in everyday conversations.
“We need more allies. We need accountability. And we need a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are respected, heard, and represented in the decisions that shape this nation. The fight for truth, justice and dignity continues.
Hanson in Hansard
Some of Hanson’s statements in the Senate do not meet The Point’s editorial standards on social justice and will not be published. Even the least offensive of her comments about First Nations people should’ve been enough for inclusion in the censure motion.
“This is my land as much as anyone else’s… We should enjoy what this country has to offer us equally. But that hasn’t been the case,” the Senator said.
The formal censure motion was moved by the Government (led by Senator Penny Wong) on March 2, 2026.
The motion affirmed that Australia is built by people of every race and faith and that the Senate “rejects any attempt to vilify people on the basis of their religion.” It specifically censured Senator Hanson for “inflammatory and divisive comments seeking to vilify Muslim Australians.”
The first part of the motion (affirming values) passed on the voices. The second part (the actual censure) passed 36 to 17.
Senator Hanson called the motion a “joke” and a “stunt,” theatrically slapped her own wrist in the chamber, and stormed out before the final vote was recorded.
Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, as the Minister for Indigenous Australians, has been a prominent critic of Senator Hanson’s rhetoric. Her responses have focused on framing Hanson’s actions as “childish stunts” and a deliberate attempt to ignite “culture wars” for political gain.
During the same session where Senator Hanson made her most extreme claims against First Nations people, Minister McCarthy delivered a ministerial statement that served as a direct policy and moral rebuttal.
She said the Closing the Gap report reflects the “strength, innovation, and leadership” of First Nations communities, rather than the “corruption” or “victimhood” Hanson described.
Minister McCarthy’s core message was that the “politics of disrespect” used by Senator Hanson is a distraction from the actual work of Closing the Gap and building national unity.
McCarthy described ceremonies like “Welcome to Country” as a “hand, warmly and graciously extended” to non-Indigenous Australians—an opportunity for unity that Hanson was choosing to reject for “attention or for clickbait.”
What you can do
You can watch Minister McCarthy’s direct responses and ministerial statements here:
- Malarndirri McCarthy criticises One Nation ‘stunts’ – A report on McCarthy’s response to Hanson turning her back in the Senate.
- Closing the Gap Ministerial Statement – Minister McCarthy’s full address on First Nations progress and safety.
- Response to One Nation’s Acknowledgment Protest – McCarthy’s “childish stunts” speech in the Senate.
You can find more information about the Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia here.
Amnesty International Australia explains what being a First Nations Ally means.
