Malarndirri McCarthy has condemned Pauline Hanson's National Press Club address as "divisive", while also seeking to link the One Nation leader's Indigenous affairs policies to criticism from Coalition senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
In a combative address to the National Press Club last week, Senator Hanson pledged to abolish the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) if One Nation formed government, arguing the move would reduce government debt and ensure First Nations people were treated the same as other Australians.
Responding on social media, Senator McCarthy, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, said the far-right Senator's comments would undermine Indigenous programs and services.
"Senator Pauline Hanson has now confirmed that all Indigenous programs would be abolished under a One Nation government," Senator McCarthy wrote.
"Our food security programs, jobs that give people the dignity of work and a pathway out of poverty, and our Indigenous Rangers — caring for country — would all be wiped out."
The minister described the rhetoric as divisive, adding: "Diversity is not a weakness — it is one of our country's greatest strengths."
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During her address, Senator Hanson argued government support should not be allocated based on race. She argued a First Nations child should not receive greater education funding than another child, adding, "we're all Australians, regardless of race".
Asked what would happen to funding currently directed through the NIAA and how support for Indigenous people in remote and regional areas would be maintained, she said: "That money will go into consolidated revenue, where any Australian can get that help if they need help."
"And all this money that we've paid out — probably about $30 billion plus a year — where has it begun?" she asked.
"Where is the accountability? Where has the gap been closed?"
Senator Hanson did not identify the source of the oft-cited $30 billion figure. However, a 2016 fact check by the Australian National University found that only $5.6 billion, or 18.6 per cent of total expenditure, was directed to Indigenous-specific programs, with the remainder covering mainstream services such as health and education.
Senator McCarthy also sought to link Senator Hanson's comments to criticism of Labour's Remote Jobs and Economic Development (RJED) program by Senator Nampijinpa Price.
"This follows Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's criticism of our remote jobs program," she wrote.
"One Nation, Liberal, National are a coalition of chaos and cuts."
Senator Nampijinpa Price has repeatedly questioned the financial value for money of the RJED program, which replaced the former Coalition government's Community Development Program.
In a recent email to supporters, she wrote: "Labor is spending almost $950 million — nearly a billion dollars — on a program that aims to create around 6000 jobs in remote communities."
"So I asked: when the funding stops, what happens next? Will those jobs survive? Nobody could give me a straight answer, and that should worry every Australian.
"After decades of government spending, we should have learned one simple lesson: the government cannot buy independence on behalf of an individual."
