One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has vowed to ban Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country practices across public schools and government if her party forms government, making the issue a key part of her proposed agenda.
Speaking during a News24 interview outlining what she described as her priorities for the first 100 days of government, Hanson said the ceremonies had become divisive and argued they should no longer be part of official public life.
Under the proposal, Acknowledgement of Country statements would be removed from government departments and public schools, while Welcome to Country ceremonies would no longer be used at official government events.
Hanson said Australia should focus on a shared national identity rather than practices that distinguish Australians by heritage.
“We are one country and one people,” she said.
The Indigenous recognition proposal sits alongside a series of other policy priorities Hanson says she would pursue if elected.
A centrepiece is a significant reduction in Australia’s migration intake. Hanson said she would cap annual immigration at “around 130,000 people”, while continuing to allow skilled workers such as doctors, nurses and other occupations facing shortages to enter the country.
She argued lower migration would help ease Australia’s housing crisis.
“We have too many people coming to the country,” she said.
Cost of living would also be a major focus, with Hanson blaming government spending for inflation and rising household costs.
She said a One Nation government would cut what she described as wasteful spending, abolish the federal climate change department, abandon Australia’s net zero emissions targets and withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
“Once you do that, you’re going to reduce the cost of living, and the cost of electricity prices as well,” she said.
Hanson also called for a full investigation into Australia’s childcare system, questioning whether the sector was delivering value for taxpayers.
She said childcare now costs taxpayers about $16 billion a year and claimed “something’s out of control there”.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) would also face major reform under One Nation, with Hanson saying the scheme’s projected growth was unsustainable.
She said greater efforts should be made to identify and prosecute people rorting the system, arguing taxpayer money should be directed to those who genuinely need support.
Hanson also reiterated her long-held criticism of Indigenous funding programs, saying government assistance should be based on individual need rather than race.
Acknowledgement of Country is a statement recognising the Traditional Owners of the land on which an event takes place, while a Welcome to Country is a formal ceremony performed by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Elder or other authorised representative.
The practices have become commonplace at government functions, schools, sporting events and many public gatherings across Australia in recent years.
Supporters say they are an important gesture of recognition and respect for First Nations peoples and Australia’s history. Critics, including Hanson and One Nation, argue they have become overused and contribute to division rather than unity.
Image: News24
