Latest news with #PaulineHanson
Sky News AU
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘I am Australian': Pauline Hanson defends One Nation turning their backs to Welcome to Country
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson defends claims One Nation senators turning their backs to the Welcome to Country ceremony in parliament was disrespectful. 'It is not a custom of the Aboriginal people, that's rubbish,' Ms Hanson told Sky News host Chris Kenny. Ms Hanson and Mr Kenny clashed on the importance of the Welcome to Country ceremony in the Australian senate.
Sky News AU
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Had a gutful': One Nation turns back on Welcome to Country in parliament
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson discusses her senators turning their backs during a Welcome to Country ceremony in parliament. One Nation senators turning their backs sparked discussions about respect and acknowledgment of Indigenous culture. Ms Hanson stated this act of protest has been ongoing, expressing frustrations about the frequency of such ceremonies.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Backlash erupts over Pauline Hanson's Acknowledgement of Country stunt in Parliament - so do her critics have a point?
A group of senators who turned their backs during an Acknowledgement of Country inside the federal parliament have been sharply criticised. The four One Nation politicians took the action in the Senate chamber when the statement of respect was read out as part of the traditional ceremonial opening of parliament on Tuesday. Cabinet minister Clare O'Neil lashed the Pauline Hanson-led party, saying it was disappointing their action became a point of focus, despite the shows of unity earlier in the day during Welcome to Country ceremonies. This afternoon in the Senate, every One Nation senator stood with me to turn our backs on the divisive and increasingly forced Acknowledgement of Country. 'It was disrespectful and rude and childish,' she told Seven on Wednesday. The opening of parliament was a day to celebrate the strength of Australia's democracy and recommit to working for Australia's citizens, Ms O'Neil added. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie said while it was up to the government to determine the ceremonies for the opening of parliament, and that she had listened respectfully to the acknowledgement, others had different perspectives. She also compared the One Nation silent protest to politicians who walk out of the chamber during the morning prayers and those who don't support the monarchy. 'The problem in a liberal democracy like ours is when we can't express different views,' she told Sunrise. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has claimed Acknowledgement of Country is 'divisive' and 'increasingly forced'. But Ms O'Neil said the party still should have treated all Australians with respect. 'Whatever your views about the Welcome to Country - we've got First Nations people who have been invited to come to parliament, to extend that hand of friendship and invite us and talk about 65,000 years of heritage that they bring to our beautiful, great country,' she said. 'To treat people that way on the first day of parliament, I think, it was absolutely appalling.' Welcome to Country ceremonies and land acknowledgements have been at the centre of a right-wing culture war after a group of neo-Nazis booed a Welcome to Country address during an Anzac Day dawn service in Melbourne earlier in 2025. This afternoon in the Senate, every One Nation senator stood with me to turn our backs on the divisive and increasingly forced Acknowledgement of Country. I've made this protest on my own for years, but today, our whole team made it clear: we've had enough of being told we don't… — Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) July 22, 2025 Labor has backed Welcome to Country ceremonies, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday celebrating the tradition as a powerful way to begin the new parliament and reflect on Australia's history. Mr Albanese also took a veiled swipe at the stance of former opposition leader Peter Dutton and some coalition MPs who branded Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country proclamations as divisive and overdone. 'Like a lot of the more positive things about our nation, we shouldn't take it for granted,' Mr Albanese said, adding the ceremony was not controversial. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the ceremony 'set the tone as we re-commit ourselves to the taking of practical action to improve lives and expand opportunity for Indigenous Australians in every part of our great country'. Welcome to Country is conducted by Traditional Owners, while Acknowledgement of Country is a statement of respect for Traditional Owners and connection to land, which can be given by an Indigenous or non-Indigenous person.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
One Nation senators draw criticism over Acknowledgement of Country
One Nation senators criticised for turning backs during Acknowledgement of Country Repeat offenders targeted as government moves to toughen childcare safety laws In NRL, Toby Rudolf dismisses Souths' injury woes ahead of Sharks clash. A group of One Nation senators has drawn sharp criticism after turning their backs during an Acknowledgement of Country in the Senate chamber during the ceremonial opening of parliament. The protest, led by Pauline Hanson's party, took place on Tuesday as the traditional statement of respect was read aloud, prompting outrage from across the political spectrum. Cabinet Minister Clare O'Neil condemned the act, calling it disrespectful, rude and childish. She tells Channel 7, the senators' behaviour detracted from what should have been a moment of national unity. " Whatever your views are on Welcome to Country, we've got First Nations people who have been invited to come to our Parliament to extend that hand of friendship and invite us, you know, and talk about that 65,000 years of heritage that they bring to our beautiful, great country of Australia, and to treat people that way, on the first day of Parliament, I think it was absolutely appalling." Nationals senator Bridge McKenzie compared the One Nation silent protest, to politicians who walk out of the chamber during the morning prayers and those who don't support the monarchy. Independent ACT Senator David Pocock is calling on the Albanese government to go beyond headline-grabbing announcements and embrace hard reform in the higher education sector. While welcoming recent moves to support nursing students with paid placements, Mr Pocock says a broader range of students, particularly in areas facing workforce shortages, deserve the same support. 'Nurses should absolutely have paid pracs but so should a whole bunch of other professions where we are desperate for more workforce. We don't want to live in a country where you have to have wealthy parents to be able to get through a degree and qualify to practice. That needs to change. We need to see a government that is bold enough to expand their program of paid pracs." The Senator also took aim at the Coalition-era Job-ready Graduates scheme that increased the cost of some degrees, calling it a failed program that should be scrapped. He also criticised the timing of HECS-HELP indexation, calling it outrageous that Australians are being charged indexation, essentially interest, on money already repaid to the ATO. Legislation aimed at improving safety in childcare centres has been introduced to parliament. The Strengthening Regulation of Early Education Bill will give the federal government powers to shutdown childcare centres who are not meeting quality and safety standards. It will also expand the powers of the federal education department, allowing regulators to enter childcare centres with no warrant or prior warning. Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh says intervention is needed to improve the system. "We want to rebuild the confidence that our early learning centers are safe and that they do provide quality early education. And of course, the vast majority of our early learning services do that every single day, but there are some repeat offenders who continue to put profit ahead of child safety, and that's what the legislation that we're introducing today is targeted to deal with." Ozzy Osbourne, legendary frontman of Black Sabbath, has died aged 76, his family has confirmed. They say he was surrounded by love in his final moments and asked for privacy as they grieve. Diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2019, Osbourne was a pioneering figure in heavy metal, known for his dark stage persona and wild antics. Dubbed the Prince of Darkness, his influence on rock music was immense, helping to define a generation of heavier, darker sound. Osbourne last appeared on stage three weeks ago in Birmingham in the U-K for a tribute Black Sabbath show. The Osbourne family welcomed viewers into their home for four seasons in an M-TV reality show between 2002 and 2005 following Osbourne and his eccentric family at home in Beverly Hills. Cronulla forward Toby Rudolf says he has not an ounce of sympathy for South Sydney as injuries derail the Rabbitohs' NRL season. Twelve first-grade players, including Latrell Mitchell, Cam Murray and Jamie Humphreys, are sidelined ahead of Saturday's match against the Sharks in Gosford. Coach Wayne Bennett has been forced to hand Ashton Gray his debut and bring in Lewis Dodd, who's seen little game time this year. Rudolf pointed out Cronulla's own injury woes, noting several key players, including himself, have played fewer than 10 games this season. He also recalled the Sharks' 2022 campaign, when they used 29 players, the same number Souths will have fielded after Gray's debut.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
One Nation turns its back on Acknowledgement of Country
A group of right-wing senators who turned their backs during an Acknowledgement of Country inside the federal parliament have been sharply criticised. The four One Nation politicians took the action in the Senate chamber when the statement of respect was read out as part of the traditional ceremonial opening of parliament on Tuesday. Cabinet minister Clare O'Neil lashed the Pauline Hanson-led party, saying it was disappointing their action became a point of focus, despite the shows of unity earlier in the day during Welcome to Country ceremonies. This afternoon in the Senate, every One Nation senator stood with me to turn our backs on the divisive and increasingly forced Acknowledgement of Country.I've made this protest on my own for years, but today, our whole team made it clear: we've had enough of being told we don't… — Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) July 22, 2025 "It was disrespectful and rude and childish," she told Seven on Wednesday. The opening of parliament was a day to celebrate the strength of Australia's democracy and recommit to working for Australia's citizens, Ms O'Neil added. Nationals senator Bridge McKenzie said while it was up to the government to determine the ceremonies for the opening of parliament, and that she had listened respectfully to the acknowledgement, others had different perspectives. She also compared the One Nation silent protest to politicians who walk out of the chamber during the morning prayers and those who don't support the monarchy. "The problem in a liberal democracy like ours is when we can't express different views," she told Sunrise. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has claimed Acknowledgement of Country is "divisive" and "increasingly forced". But Ms O'Neil said the party still should have treated all Australians with respect. "Whatever your views about the Welcome to Country - we've got First Nations people who have been invited to come to parliament, to extend that hand of friendship and invite us and talk about 65,000 years of heritage that they bring to our beautiful, great country," she said. "To treat people that way on the first day of parliament, I think, it was absolutely appalling." Welcome to Country ceremonies and land acknowledgements have been at the centre of a right-wing culture war after a group of neo-Nazis booed a Welcome to Country address during an Anzac Day dawn service in Melbourne earlier in 2025. Labor has backed Welcome to Country ceremonies, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday celebrating the tradition as a powerful way to begin the new parliament and reflect on Australia's history. Mr Albanese also took a veiled swipe at the stance of former opposition leader Peter Dutton and some coalition MPs who branded Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country proclamations as divisive and overdone. "Like a lot of the more positive things about our nation, we shouldn't take it for granted," Mr Albanese said, adding the ceremony was not controversial. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the ceremony "set the tone as we re-commit ourselves to the taking of practical action to improve lives and expand opportunity for Indigenous Australians in every part of our great country". Welcome to Country is conducted by Traditional Owners, while Acknowledgement of Country is a statement of respect for Traditional Owners and connection to land, which can be given by an Indigenous or non-Indigenous person.
