One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has come under fire after she stormed out of the Senate on Wednesday, July 27 during the Acknowledgment of Country ceremony.
While recognising the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples as the traditional custodians of the Canberra region, Senate President Sue Lines was interrupted by Hanson.
“No, I won’t,” Hanson yelled as she exited the chambers.
“I never will.”
The outspoken Hanson later told Australian Associated Press that she had been “feeling this way for a long time”.
“I have called from the first day for equality for all Australians. I see this as divisive,” she said.
She went on to claim that “our people that have fought for this country” need acknowledgement and those “who have sacrificed their lives”.
She continued to criticise the Acknowledgement of Country ceremony before taking aim at the Indigenous Flag.
“I find this flag divisive,” she said.
“We are now hearing it on flights and aeroplanes. I’m sorry – this is my country as well.
“This is heading towards division in our nation. A ‘them and us’. And we’ll never close the gap if we continue down this path. All Australians should be treated equally and the same.”
Indigenous Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe was swift with her condemnation of the One Nation leader, taking to Twitter to make her thoughts known.
“Day two of the 47th parliament and racism has reared its ugly head,” Thorpe tweeted.
“Pauline Hanson disrespectfully stormed out of the acknowledgement of Country in the Senate, refusing to acknowledge “those people.” You want to make parliament safe? Get rid of racism.”
Hanson was quick to fire back at Thorpe’s tweet, claiming the Green’s Senator had a “racially divisive agenda”.
However, Hanson was unable to respond as quickly to the avalanche of responses to her outburst with many criticising the Senator for her behaviour.
Hanson later released a video statement, stating that she believes the “‘acknowledgement of country’ perpetuates racial division in Australia”.
“From this point forward, I will refuse to acknowledge country in the Senate,” she said.
“What is more, woke virtue-signallers continue with their politics of racial division by demanding the Aboriginal flag be displayed in the Senate chamber. Parliament is the people’s house. It is there to represent all Australians equally, regardless of their racial heritage.”