Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

The pathetic pants-wetting senators in this chamber, all bar two, prevented me from introducing my Acts Interpretation Amendment (Aboriginality) Bill 2023. This stunt has rarely ever been done. They are effectively saying that a senator who represents more than five million Queenslanders is not allowed to introduce legislation or speak in this chamber on their behalf. That's not democracy; that's a dictatorship of which the North Koreans would be proud.

Heed my warning: this issue will continue to fester in the referendum period and for a long time afterwards until we settle what defines an Indigenous Australian. It's a crucial question for many reasons. Many Indigenous Australians are understandably appalled that a non-Indigenous person would falsely claim to be one of them for personal gain, and there is plenty of evidence that many non-Indigenous people have done just that. Since 1971, the number of people recorded in the census as identifying as Indigenous has risen by 700 per cent. From the 2016 census to the 2000 census, the total population of Australia rose by eight per cent, while the number of people identifying as Indigenous rose by 25 per cent. What a joke! Budgets and moneys given to Aboriginal corporations rely on these figures. Government spending per non-Indigenous Australian is approximately $24,000, while government spending per Indigenous Australian is more than $44,000. In many cases, no real evidence is required to identify as an Aborigine. It's effectively a box-ticking exercise.

My bill seeks only to ensure that any future legislation define Indigenous Australians as they do, as a native title claimant. This will provide a stronger definition and aims to prevent dishonest people from falsely claiming a heritage that is not theirs. Also, it will stop the rorting of an Indigenous gravy train. Where's the accountancy, PM Albanese? With the continual lies to the public, they have— (Time expired)