One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has caved to criticism of her recent comments on the prime minister’s late mother and labelling Indigenous Australians “primitive”.

Hanson was cornered by journalists on Tuesday and was asked: “Senator Hanson, do you regret making comments about Anthony Albanese’s mother?”

She was also asked if she would apologise for saying Aboriginal Australians were “the most primitive race on earth”.

Hanson said she did not think her criticism of Albanese’s crippled mother living in public housing for 65 years was “derogatory”.

But if the prime minister had taken offence she said: “Well, I’m sorry for that.”

Hanson also said “I will apologise” if she had offended people for her description of Indigenous people.

“If I’ve offended people by using that, yes, I will apologise for that,” she said.

“I will not back away from what needs to be discussed and we can’t back away from what is happening in the country.

“I see the division that’s happening in Australia. I’ve always advocated that we are Australians all together and should all be treated equally on a needs basis, not about race.

“Until we actually do that, we’re not going to move on from what’s happened in the past.”

Earlier on Tuesday in an interview on News24, Hanson doubled down on her inflammatory remarks and refused to say sorry.

“If we go back to the time of civilisation in Australia, they were primitive compared to the settlers that came here from England,” she told News24.

Hanson made the comments ,which recently resurfaced, on the Jamie J podcast in 2025 , criticising the study of Indigenous history and culture in schools.

Speaking on that podcast, Hanson questioned why Aboriginal culture and language was being taught in schools.

“Sorry, the most primitive race on earth, and we’re supposed to be holding up and saying what they’ve achieved. They’ve achieved nothing,” she said on the podcast.

She insisted on Tuesday she was trying to be a “voice for the Australian people” who championed equality for all Australians based on need, not race.

“I will not back down from raising the issues that need to be talked about and debated in this nation, and I will continue to do that,” she said following the blowback from the podcast, noting she did not want to get people offside.

“A lot of Aboriginal people support me because they feel they have been used as pawns in this,” she said.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said her comments did not even meet a basic test of decency.

Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price rebuked Hanson, saying making Australia better was about working together rather than tearing people down on the basis of race.

“When you say ‘the most primitive race on Earth,’ you are speaking about a race of people,” she told Sydney radio 2GB on Tuesday.

“I don’t care what excuses are being made. She did absolutely demonstrate wilful ignorance because there’s a hell of a lot more to Australia’s first people than simply what her remarks suggest.”

The comments have sparked widespread condemnation from across the parliament, including from all four Indigenous senators.

Pointing to the rare unity, Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said it “speaks volumes” as to why Senator Hanson should apologise.

“Clearly the Senate can act, but I am personally calling out to Senator Hanson saying this is important,” she told ABC TV.

“What (she) said is deeply hurtful. It’s completely wrong.

“Those comments were completely baseless. They harm. They dehumanise First Nations people in Australia.”

The One Nation leader was banned from parliament for seven parliamentary sitting days in November after she wore a burqa in the Senate, leading to her being censured.

Successful censure motions are uncommon and give parliamentarians the chance to formally express their disapproval of colleagues, but they do not have any legal consequences.

-with AAP