Indigenous leaders condemn Pauline Hanson for 'primitive race' slur
Pauline Hanson called Indigenous Australians 'primitive' and said they invented nothing. First Nations leaders said both claims are wrong.
Pauline Hanson made comments on a podcast in 2025 where she called Indigenous Australians 'the most primitive race on earth' and said they achieved nothing before Europeans arrived, claiming they never invented the wheel.
The comments recently surfaced online. Group chief executive Cassandra Lewis said the remarks were factually wrong.
They also hurt Aboriginal people, their cultures and their histories. Cassandra Lewis said stereotypes get in the way of reconciliation.
Former head of DJAARA Rodney Carter urged supporters of Hanson to think about it. Hanson apologised on Tuesday.
But she said she stood by her view that Indigenous culture was primitive compared with English settlers. Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said Hanson has pushed racism throughout her career.
Lewis said reconciliation needs truth-telling and mutual respect, not division.
- most primitive race on earth
- Hanson's description
- Jamie J podcast in 2025
- Podcast source
- Cassandra Lewis
- Dja Dja Wurrung CEO
- Bendigo-based
- City location
Why it mattersHigh-profile attacks on Indigenous peoples hurt efforts to build understanding and reconciliation across Australia.
AustraliaComments like these are flashpoints in Australian debates over how First Nations people are represented in public life and respected.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 6 d ago
