Pauline Hanson, leader of the One Nation party, has issued an apology to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese regarding comments made about his late mother and her past remarks about Aboriginal Australians being 'primitive'.
Hanson addressed the controversy on Tuesday, stating that her comments about Albanese's mother living in public housing were not intended to be offensive.
"I raised a comment with regards to housing commission. My comments weren't distasteful towards Anthony Albanese's mother at all," Hanson said when questioned by reporters. "I was referring to housing commission at that time, so if he's taken offence to it, well, I'm sorry for that."
The original remarks about Albanese's mother were reportedly made in January on The Karl Stefanovic Show and resurfaced last week. Hanson had previously been accused of avoiding cameras following criticism of her statements.
Hanson also apologized for her use of the word "primitive" to describe Aboriginal Australians during an interview on the Jamie J Podcast last year.
"If I've offended people by using that, yes, I will apologise for that," Hanson stated. She added that while she stands by the need to discuss important issues, she does not wish to cause offense.
"I will not back away from what needs to be discussed and we can't back away from what is happening in the country," she continued. "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."