One Nation senators turned their backs during the Acknowledgement of Country at the opening of Federal Parliament on Tuesday, in a move which shows the right-wing party will continue to engage in culture war stunts in the new parliament.
Led by party founder Pauline Hanson, the four senators protested during the upper house's reading of the statement of respect, which acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which Parliament stands.
Senator Hanson, who was found guilty last year of breaching section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act over a racist social media post about NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has long opposed cultural recognition practices.
Although the Acknowledgement of Country is not a Welcome to Country ceremony — the latter of which involves an Elder formally inviting people onto their traditional land — One Nation conflated the two in a post on social media.
"One Nation is saying what we're all thinking: Welcome to Country has worn out its welcome. We are all sick of being welcomed to our own country," the post read.
Despite conservative commentary labelling the practice divisive, no evidence has been provided to support those claims. The result of the last federal election was widely viewed as a rejection of culture war politics, with Labor gaining a historic majority, and former opposition leader Peter Dutton — who earlier this year said Welcome to Country ceremonies were "overdone" and should be limited to key events — losing his seat.
Welcome to Country ceremonies and acknowledgements have increasingly come under fire this year. Tensions peaked on Anzac Day, when Bunurong Elder Uncle Mark Brown was heckled at the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance by a group allegedly led by a known neo-Nazi. The incident was condemned as a racist attack.
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On Tuesday, Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Violet Sheridan delivered a Welcome to Country at Parliament House, receiving respectful responses from both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.
Aunty Violet reminded those present that being on Ngunnawal land comes with responsibility.
"It is not just about being here, it is about caring for this land," she said.
"As part of this Welcome, I offer you spiritual protection and safe passage. May you all walk gently, listen and carry the spirit of this country with you. May your journey on Ngunnawal country be of understanding, respect and shared purpose. Guided by the values of care, connection and community."
Prime Minister Albanese called the Welcome "an opportunity for us to embrace and to show a profound love of home and country".
"It is a reminder as well of why we all belong here together, that we are stronger together and we belong," he said.
Opposition Deputy Leader Sussan Ley also acknowledged the significance of the ceremony.
"Thank you again Aunty Violet for your welcome for the opening of this new parliament. May it set the tone as we recommit ourselves to the taking of practical action to improve lives and expand opportunities for Indigenous Australians in every part of our great country," she said.
Cabinet Minister Clare O'Neil criticised the One Nation protest, saying it distracted from the unity shown during Aunty Violet's speech.
"It was disrespectful and rude and childish," she told Channel Seven on Wednesday.
Senator Hanson defended the protest online, again conflating the Acknowledgement with Welcome to Country ceremonies, stating: "These divisive performances aren't about respect anymore. They've become a political routine that divides rather than unites."
The party's protest comes amid ongoing criticism of its track record on race. Earlier this year, the Coalition was criticised for preferencing One Nation in multiple seats despite its history of inflammatory rhetoric against Indigenous people and migrants.
In April, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price defended the party saying: "One Nation aren't radical like the Greens."
"One Nation is not anti-Australian," she added.
