Three One Nation senators turned their backs during the Acknowledgement of Country on the opening day of the spring parliamentary sittings.
Queensland Senator Malcolm Roberts, New South Wales Senator Sean Bell and Western Australia Senator Tyron Whitten faced away as Deputy Senate President Slade Brockman delivered the Acknowledgement of Country in the Senate chamber.
The trio turned back around when the Senate moved to the Lord’s Prayer.
Each sitting day in the Senate begins with an Acknowledgement of Country, followed by the Lord’s Prayer before parliamentary business gets underway.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson was not in the chamber at the time.
Last week, Hanson told News24 host Paul Murray that she would scrap Welcome to Country ceremonies in schools, government departments and at official events.
During the interview, a voter asked Hanson whether she would remove the practice from schools amid concerns about what was being taught in the education system.
‘I do not believe in having Welcome to Country … in government departments I wouldn’t have a Welcome to Country,’ Hanson said.
Three One Nation Senators turned their backs during the Acknowledgement of Country (an archive image of a similar One Nation protest)
‘I wouldn’t be having it in schools or the education system. I’d shut that all down and I’ll tell you another thing too, there won’t be three flags.’
Hanson has repeatedly defended her opposition to Acknowledgements of Country and Welcome to Country ceremonies.
Responding to criticism after a similar protest in Parliament last year, Hanson said many Australians had grown frustrated with the practice.
‘They’re tired of being made to feel like outsiders. Tired of tokenistic rituals shoved into every meeting, every ceremony, every public event, while real issues like the cost of living and housing are brushed aside,’ Hanson said.
‘These divisive performances aren’t about respect anymore. They’ve become a political routine that divides rather than unites.’
Speaking to News24 host Chris Kenny in 2025, Hanson said she had been turning her back during the Acknowledgement of Country for three years and that fellow One Nation senators shared her views.
‘I haven’t just done it recently… I’ve been doing it for the past three years,’ Hanson said.
‘They have had a gutful of this Welcome to Parliament on the parliamentary floor every morning, plus also around the country.’
Pauline Hanson (pictured) would ban Acknowledgement of Country in government
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Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy condemned the senators’ actions at the time, describing them as an ‘incredibly childish stunt’.
Speaking in the Senate, McCarthy accused the One Nation senators of deliberately disrespecting First Nations Australians.
‘These senators aren’t required to be in the Senate for the Acknowledgement of Country,’ she said.
‘In fact, they haven’t been in the past, but they do now, whether it is for attention or for clickbait, whether it is to court offence, whether it is to stoke division, these senators have made a deliberate decision to disrespect First Nations Australians.’
McCarthy also urged senators to conduct debates respectfully, regardless of political differences.
‘I urge all senators to remember who you work beside, who you walk with, and even when we disagree, we have a chamber here where we can discuss in a manner that is far more respectful than we’ve seen in these previous days.’
