One Nation’s Pauline Hanson invited to meet with Anangu traditional owner after ‘ridiculous’ Uluru climb call

AN INVITATION to meet with Anangu traditional owners has been extended to One Nation senator Pauline Hanson after she said plans to close the Uluru climb were ‘ridiculous’

AN INVITATION to meet with Anangu traditional owners has been extended to Australian Senator Pauline Hanson after she said plans to close the Uluru climb were “ridiculous”.

NT Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said she would be more than happy to introduce Senator Hanson to the traditional owners, to explain the rock’s cultural significance to the One Nation leader.

“I’ve extended an invitation to Senator Hanson. I’m prepared to facilitate a coming together of her and the Anangu so she can better understand the issues behind the climb and the Anangu decision to close the climb in October,” she said.

RELATED

RACIST’: Today’s Uluru debate lashed

OPINION: Why you shouldn’t climb Uluru

HUGE lines of tourists climbing ‘dangerously close’ at Uluru

ULURU climbers rise since ban announced last year

“Senator Hanson says she hasn’t been to Uluru before. I’d suggest the first thing is to visit the traditional owners and hear first hand from them — that would be a good place to start.”

It comes after Senator Hanson likened closing the rock climb to closing Bondi Beach in an interview with The Today Show on Monday.

TOP STORIES

SINSATIONS stripper attacked in jail

DARWIN crime crisis: Push to introduce day/night covert surveillance plane

PICTURE GALLERY: Darwin Beer Can Regatta 2019

NT museum on the brink of closure

TOP 50: The NT’s greatest ever sports stars listed

“It’s no different to coming out and saying, ‘We’re going to close down Bondi Beach because there are some people that have drowned’. How ridiculous is that?” she said.

“This is an iconic site for all Australians. I can’t see the cultural sensitivity when people have been climbing the rock and now suddenly people want to shut it down.”

Senator McCarthy said the decision “wasn’t made over night” and was highly important to the traditional owners.

“It’s enormously disappointing to completely disregard the first nation’s decision here,” she said. “When I was tourism minister in 2010 I was talking about it even then … when I had Oprah Winfrey out here we flew around the rock because she understood the cultural significance of not climbing the rock.”

ONLY $1 a week: OUR best value NT News subscription deal yet (Min. cost $4)

Senator McCarthy said it was particularly worrying considering Senator Hanson had a voice in the Australian parliament.

“We’re talking about a voice to parliament on first nations people,” she said.

“Naturally we want to hear the voices of the Anangu people on this very important decision for our country.”