Senator Pauline Hanson has claimed she was ‘disgusted’ by Sussan Ley beginning her National Press Club address last week with an Acknowledgement of Country.
The new Liberal leader acknowledged the traditional owners of the land at the start of her address to the club in Canberra on Wednesday.
It marked a significant shift in tone from her predecessor, Peter Dutton, who claimed welcome to countries were ‘overdone’ in the last leaders’ debate of the federal election campaign.
Ley’s pointed decision to begin her first major speech since being elected Opposition Leader with an acknowledgement to country was seen as a conciliatory move following Dutton’s divisive attempt to exploit the culture wars in the last desperate days of the campaign.
But not everyone held that view. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said it ‘disgusted’ her.
‘I was disgusted. Absolutely disgusted with it,’ she told Sky News’ Danica and James.
She added: ‘I am disgusted with her (Ley). She is a moderate. I don’t believe she’s the right person to lead the Liberal Party – I think you need a true conservative.
‘But she’s been dragged along by the moderates, because she’s a moderate.’
Senator Hanson said she thought Ley would be ‘overthrown’ before the next federal election.
She also took aim at the notion that the Liberal Party deserved credit for defeating the Voice referendum in October 2023.
‘What a load of rubbish that is. It wasn’t just the Liberals that opposed it. It was a lot of people like myself, like Gary Johns, and then you had Barnaby Joyce and you had Jacinta Price…’, she added.
‘Because once the public were informed about what it meant and changed in the Constitution, people were better informed and made their decisions about it.’
The firebrand politician was responding to a poll that reportedly found that 56 per cent of Australians thought that Welcome to Country ceremonies are divisive.
‘It’s ridiculous where we’re going (as a country). It’s divisive. More than 56 per cent of the public out there are so over this but they are in fear of being called a bigot or racist,’ she said.
A Melbourne street sweeper won a claim for unfair dismissal after being sacked for objecting to an Acknowledgement to Country being made during a staff meeting.
Darebin City Council dismissed Shaun Turner when he questioned the ceremony after it was held at the toolbox meeting for the first time.
He told the meeting: ‘If you need to be thanking anyone, it’s the people who have worn the uniform and fought for our country to keep us free.
‘It’s getting out of hand and people are losing it, it is now being done at the opening of a postage stamp.’
Council officers investigated Mr Turner’s alleged ‘serious misconduct’, but he doubled down.
‘As far as I know half of us are born here, I don’t need to be welcomed to my own country. If people don’t want to be there, they can leave,’ Mr Turner told the officers.
Mr Turner also told officers that Acknowledgement of Country should be reserved for more formal or international occasions.