Pauline Hanson claimed British convicts were the ‘stolen generation’ as she delivered a fiery speech against Indigenous Voices in Parliament.
The One Nation leader slammed Voice as ‘divisive’ and claimed the advisory body would not help Indigenous communities during a speech to the Senate on Monday.
At the start of his speech, Senator Hanson spoke of the arrival of the First Fleet and the British convicts who were sent to Australia against their will, mainly for petty crimes.
‘The government was established at Westminster after this nation was settled by the English,’ he said.
‘Yes, we all admit that there were other people (here) in this nation at that time, but it was in their backbone, as people say, the colonists, the convicts, who came here.
‘Many have been dragged here against their will from England and elsewhere. They were also the stolen generation.’
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (pictured) delivered a fiery speech criticizing Voice to Parliament on Monday
‘Stolen Generations’ is a term used to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were removed from their families by colonial-era governments, and state and federal governments until the 1970s.
Senator Hanson said in his speech that there had been ‘too many brutal incidents’ which had been ‘acknowledged’.
‘Our country grew up with a parliamentary system that started, the same system in England, with parliament, elected by people based on their dedication, passion, who want to make changes for the betterment of this country,’ he said.
‘Those opportunities have been extended to anyone, whether they are born here, immigrants, refugees or even Indigenous Australians.’
He added: ‘To say they never had a voice is really untrue. It’s not true.’
He claimed that people who were ‘dragged’ to Australia during settlement were the ‘stolen generation’ (pictured, an illustration of a convict ship arriving in Australia from England in the early 19th century).
The senator also targeted prominent ‘Yes’ campaigner Thomas Mayo after he made comments in a video published by the left-wing Inquiry Foundation.
The 2021 YouTube video – which was uncovered by ‘No’ campaigners and became public for the first time on Monday – sees Mr Mayo attempt to refute the misinformation and arguments made against the Voice.
At one point, Mr Mayo tried to fend off criticism that an advisory body to the government would be ‘weak’.
Mr Mayo said: ‘The power of Voice is that it empowers First Nations to come together through representatives they choose, representatives they can hold accountable.
‘And then move forward with a coherent position on how things should be – what laws need to be made, what laws need to be amended, what needs to be funded and where.
‘And then be able to campaign for it and punish politicians who ignore our advice. That’s where the power comes from.’
Mr Mayo (pictured), said politicians should be ‘punished’ if they ignore the advice of advisory bodies in an exposé video from 2021.
Mayo said VOICE would also be protected from “hostile governments” because of its “constitutional basis”. A previous VOICE-like body, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), was established by Parliament in 1990 but was abolished by the Howard government in 2005.
Senator Hanson returned to the Senate after reading his comments about ‘punishing’ politicians who ignore advice.
‘Is this your truth? What does that mean?’ she said.
‘So someone caught on video tape?’
Mayo has been contacted for comment.
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