Pauline Hanson doubles down on her divisive rant about 'lazy' Aboriginal parents - and says Australia is failing to protect indigenous children who get raped
- Pauline Hanson has called the Closing the Gap initiative 'complete rubbish'
- She blamed indigenous Australians 'own negligence' for poor school attendance
- 'If you want to close the gap start taking responsibility for your own people'
- Hanson's comments were slammed by Labor and Green senators as 'racist'
- After her speech she doubled down in an interview with Sky News' Paul Murray
Pauline Hanson has doubled down on her controversial rant about Aboriginal people and said children who get raped should be taken away from their communities.
The One National leader slammed the government's Closing the Gap initiative to improve Aboriginal communities in a fiery speech in the senate on Wednesday.
Labor and Greens senators called her racist after she suggested Aboriginal people were addicted to 'grog and drugs' and failed to turn up to work or take their children to school.
But in an interview with Sky News host Paul Murray later that night, Senator Hanson stood by her views and said government efforts were not working.
Pauline Hanson shared her interview with Paul Murray on her Twitter account
Pauline Hanson (pictured at Uluru) says she cares deeply about Aboriginal children and reducing inequality - but does not believe current methods are working
She recalled the case of a two-year-old girl who tested positive for an STD in the Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek after she was allegedly raped by a 24-year-old family friend in February 2018.
'We have problems with kids being raped. How can a two-year-old have an STD?' Senator Hanson said.
The two-year-old girl in this case was removed from her family's care by the Department of Child Protection South Australia.
But Senator Hanson said neglected and abused children should be taken from their communities more often.
'If that was happening in white society, Paul, they would take the children away and we don't,' she said.
'We turn our back, you can't get involved because of cultural issues, we're not protecting the children.'
Pauline Hanson has doubled down on her controversial rant about Aboriginal people and said children who get raped should be taken away from their communities
Senator Hanson again said the Closing The Gap initiative was failing and that nothing has changed since her maiden speech in parliament in 1996.
'The inequality is still happening [even though] we are throwing tens of billions of dollars at this,' she said.
Urging the government to spend less on the initiative, she added: 'Closing the gap is about treating people equally.'
'We don't need any more organisations that are set up. They don't need any more programs. They need to be held account for the money that's been given to them.'
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On Wednesday Scott Morrison revealed the initiative was only meeting two of its seven targets.
In her speech in the senate, Senator Hanson slammed the program as 'complete rubbish' and a 'joke'.
'The biggest problem facing Australian and Aboriginal Australians today is their own lack of commitment and responsibility to helping themselves,' she said.
Senator Hanson attacked indigenous mums and dads for being behind poor school attendances, noting one school with 400 children enrolled often had a 50 per cent attendance rate.
Pauline Hanson has been slammed as 'racist' after claiming Aboriginal Australians are disadvantaged by their 'own negligence'
'Whose fault is that? Lazy parents. You can't blame the whites when it's your own negligence,' Senator Hanson said.
Labor frontbencher Jenny McAllister said Senator Hanson's speech was not OK.
'Her racist comments - and they are racist - have no place in this chamber,' she told the upper house.
Greens Senate leader Larissa Waters apologised to anyone listening to Senator Hanson, saying a code of conduct was needed to stop hate speech in parliament.
'It's the racism that we've come to expect from her and her party,' she said.
'They don't reflect the sentiment of this chamber or vast majority of Australians.'
Senator Hanson insisted she was speaking on behalf of 'quiet Australians' and claimed her comments were echoed by many indigenous people that meet with her.
'When you spend billions of dollars a year on any group of people you expect outcomes but sadly those billions have gone to the non-productive, unrepentant aboriginal industry,' she said.
Pauline Hanson and candidate for Geraldton Wayne Martin chats with indigenous people in March 2017
She said Closing the Gap was a marketing term used by politicians and bureaucrats to pretend they're doing something to 'lift remote First Nations people out of their self perpetuating hellholes.'
The One Nation leader said indigenous people should 'stop playing the victim.'
'If you want to close the gap start taking some responsibility for your own people,' Senator Hanson said.
'We've provided the schools - it's now up to you to send your own kids to school. We've provided the jobs but it's up to you to turn up when you're rostered on, not when it suits.
'It's up to the Aboriginals to stay off the grog and the drugs.'
Senator Hanson has been criticised throughout her career for racism but denies she discriminates against people.
Pauline Hanson is hugged by Aboriginal man Walter Reid under the Fitzroy Bridge in Rockhampton November 2017
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