Just a day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Welcome to Country ceremonies “should never be controversial,” the tradition became the subject of political dissent in Parliament.
On the second day of the 48th Parliament, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and her party’s senators turned their backs during the Acknowledgement of Country in the Senate.
The act drew condemnation from Labor and the Greens, while Indigenous Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price not only defended the move, but backed Hanson’s claim that the ceremony had become “tokenistic.”
In his opening speech, Albanese reaffirmed the significance of the ceremony, which former Coalition leader Peter Dutton had criticised during the campaign as “overdone.”
His successor, Sussan Ley, however, avoided direct criticism and instead endorsed the ceremony.
“This parliament doesn’t begin in isolation,” she said, describing the ceremony as a reminder of Australia’s ancient culture and democratic inheritance.
However, breaking from the party line, Price described the practice as a political theatre.
Price delivered a strong defence of Hanson’s position, arguing that Indigenous identity is being politicised in Parliament.
“Indigenous Australians are objectified—used as a political token for point scoring,” she said in the Senate.
“Senator Hanson is correct to say that Welcome to Country is not traditional culture.
“As a woman, as a mother, as soon to be a grandmother, and as an Australian of proud heritage—whether it’s my convict ancestors or it’s my Warlpiri ancestors—I’m proud of it all. And we should all be.”
Labor and Greens Call the Act ‘Disrespectful’
Indigenous Minister Malarndirri McCarthy described the act of turning their backs as a rejection of national unity.
“The ceremony is like a hand, warmly and graciously extended—an opportunity for us to embrace and to show a profound love of home and country,” she said.
“I urge those senators, in particular the new senators, to take a moment to understand how important and precious it is to stand here representing all Australians. Respect and acknowledgement go both ways.”
Greens Senate Leader Larissa Waters asserted Hanson and her colleagues are using their platform to divide.
“These are privileged voices,” she said, before turning attention to systemic issues like Indigenous incarceration rates and deaths in custody.
“The Greens are looking forward to working on issues to genuinely close the gap … that royal commission report has sadly gathered dust for far too long.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong also criticised Hanson’s mixed messaging on respect and division.
“She [Hanson] speaks of division, but it is she who peddles in division. She speaks of respect, but it is she who peddles disrespect,” she said.
Wong added that while members may disagree on policy, the Senate’s traditions must be respected.
“Despite her disapproval, Senator Hanson must still adhere to the rules of this chamber—including the Welcome to Country,” she said.
‘We’ve Had Enough’: Hanson Says Public Agrees
Hanson said the protest was a reflection of public frustration with what she called repetitive, performative gestures in Parliament.
“I’ve been doing it for the past three years,” she told the Senate. “The other two senators that have now joined me are of the same opinion.”
In a later interview, she added that the decision to stand on day one during the Governor-General’s speech was a mark of respect, but that the repetition inside the chamber had gone too far.
“We all now have a gut full of this Welcome to Parliament on the floor every morning, plus also around the country,” she told Sky News.
“I do not want a Welcome to Country and to be disenfranchised from my own country that I was born in.”
When asked whether the act was disrespectful to Indigenous communities, Hanson replied: “I’m turning my back on policies and ideologies that are dividing our nation and the tokenism that’s going on.”
She highlighted that public support had been overwhelming.
“Just on two platforms, there’s been over 7,000 views, and nearly 6,500 comments,” she said.
Queensland Restricts Indigenous Messaging
The protest comes amid a related cultural debate in Queensland, where the Liberal National Party has moved to restrict the use of Indigenous acknowledgements and artwork in official email signatures.
Labor’s Leanne Enoch raised concerns that the directive signalled a retreat from reconciliation, while LNP Minister Fiona Simpson defended the policy as a shift toward “practical outcomes.”
“When we have a real gap in opportunity and disadvantage in this state, they want to talk about branding,” Simpson said, pointing to housing overcrowding, unsafe drinking water, and basic infrastructure shortfalls in remote Indigenous communities.
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
