Sam Newman Backs Pauline Hanson Over Comments on Indigenous Australians

Former AFL player Sam Newman has defended Pauline Hanson after the One Nation leader described Indigenous Australians as “the most primitive race on Earth” in an interview.

Hanson made the comments during an appearance on the Jamie J Podcast last year, which was co-hosted by former Liberal candidate and News24 presenter Jaimee Rodgers.

Referring to a discussion with a Western Australian teacher, Hanson argued that schools placed too much focus on Indigenous studies.

She then broadened her criticism of Indigenous Australians, claiming they had made little contribution to the country despite living on the continent for 60,000 years, before saying: “They’re the most primitive race on Earth.”

After the footage resurfaced this week, Hanson issued a qualified apology on Tuesday, saying: “If I offended people by using that (term, ‘primitive’), yes, I will apologise for that.”

However, Newman called Hanson’s comments “extremely fair” while speaking with Melbourne Underground Film Festival director Richard Wolstencroft on his You Cannot Be Serious podcast.

When Wolstencroft raised the controversy, Newman backed Hanson’s position, saying: “Extremely fair about the Indigenous people being primitive.”

The former AFL star added: “Well, how could you possibly not say that?”

The discussion then moved from Hanson’s comments to Newman’s point of view.

‘It’s not necessarily decrying or degrading or defiling Aboriginals, but like a lot of white people, they are basically a lazy and idle race,’ he said.

Newman anticipated criticism of that statement, saying it would be interpreted as him calling Aboriginal people lazy and idle.

‘So are plenty of white people and there’s plenty of success stories in the Aboriginal community and good on them,’ he added.

He also claimed there was ‘not one tangible thing’ to show for 60,000 years of Aboriginal culture and argued Indigenous Australians had not contributed to building the nation structurally.

That claim overlooks documented Indigenous engineering. For example, UNESCO’s World Heritage listing for the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape describes Gunditjmara channels, weirs and dams developed over at least 6,600 years to trap, store and harvest eels.

Newman also criticised Welcome to Country ceremonies, including the one held before the NFL game at the MCG.

‘It is just showboating,’ he said. ‘It is absolutely gratuitous nonsense.’

Later, he urged people to withhold applause at sporting events.

‘Don’t boo as I suggested and don’t necessarily turn your back on it. Just don’t applaud,’ he said.

Newman also explicitly declared his political support for the One Nation leader during the episode, saying: ‘Well, I’m a Hanson supporter.’

The defence of Hanson comes amid criticism of her original remarks from Labor, Liberal and crossbench figures.

In the resurfaced interview, Hanson questioned the value of teaching Aboriginal culture and language, claiming Indigenous Australians had ‘achieved nothing’.

On Tuesday, she said hurting people had not been her intention and acknowledged she was ‘not the most eloquent speaker’.

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, whom Newman praised as a ‘fine person’ during his podcast, was among those who condemned Hanson’s remarks.

‘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,’ Price said.

‘I don’t care what excuses are being made. It was her tone and inflection throughout those remarks.’

Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy also rejected Hanson’s comments.

‘Those comments were completely baseless. They harm. They dehumanise First Nations people in Australia,’ she said.

– READ MORE: Bombshell as Pauline Hanson makes stunning apology to arch-rival Anthony Albanese

– READ MORE: Video emerges of Pauline Hanson labelling Aboriginal people ‘the most primitive race on earth’