Julie Hall, Whitsundays candidate for One Nation warns of ‘white slavery’ following native title ruling

When asked about the slavery comments, the former mayor said “what about the rights of white Australians” before making comparisons to South Africa. See what set the former psychic off.

Whitsunday One Nation candidate Mayor Julie Hall asked if ‘white slavery’ would follow from a native title designation.

In the words of Pauline Hanson herself, two Queensland MPs have issued a “please explain” to a One Nation candidate who has implied native title rulings could lead to ‘white slavery’.

Former Whitsundays mayor Julie Hall made the comments on her Facebook page where she identified herself as One Nation’s candidate for the Whitsundays.

“We start down this road and what’s next white slavery,” Ms Hall told her Facebook audience, in reference to the Kabi Kabi peoples native title claim for 250,000 parcels of land.

“I was born in Australia, Australia is my country, where are my rights?” she asked her Facebook followers.

The Kabi Kabi peoples’ claim covers more than 365,345 hectares from south of the Sunshine Coast through to the Fraser Coast region in the north.

They hold the non-exclusive rights to the land, meaning they will not be in control of the land, nor will they supersede property rights, according to Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli.

Ms Hall, who in 2022 ran under the One Nation banner for the federal seat of Dawson, was elected as the Whitsunday region mayor months later.

But her tenure was short lived, having decided against running for mayor in this year’s local government elections in March.

Just hours after her white slavery comments on Tuesday, Ms Hall made her public debut for her state election campaign alongside fellow One Nation candidate Kylee Stanton who is running against Labor stalwart Julieanne Gilbert for the seat of Mackay

While both were set up under a gazebo at the Mackay Show on Wednesday, only streets away Mrs Gilbert was spruiking the state’s new $4m exploration fund to find natural hydrogen to kickstarter new industry alongside Resources Minister Scott Stewart.

Mrs Gilbert was rendered speechless and Mr Stewart laughed out loud when the Daily Mercury asked them for their thoughts on Ms Hall’s white slavery comments.

They both then unanimously agreed a “please explain” was the most appropriate response as they queried how Ms Hall could have formed such views on native title claims.

Pauline Hanson’s Please Explain page said she had “tried to warn” Australians about the consequences of our current Native Title system.

“Last year, I attempted to introduce a “sunset date” to reform the system. However, my efforts were blocked by the Albanese Labor Government and the Liberal/National Party Coalition,” Ms Hanson claimed in the post.

“I believe that all Australians should be equal before the law, regardless of their race. We cannot have a system that allows control, access or use of land on the basis of race or identity.

“As a result of these claims, people … no longer have control over who can camp and hunt on the land. They now face complex legal issues and uncertainty regarding the use and development of these areas.”

“Think it can’t happen to you? Think again! This latest case proves otherwise!

“And it’s only going to get worse.”

Experts have rejected the claims, explaining that native title is not about land rights but about recognising the original custodians of the land and their right to undertake traditional practices.

YOUR NATIVE TITLE QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Central Queensland has its own dark history of slavery, with thousands of South Sea Islanders and Pacific Islanders brought to the region by force and made to work in the cane fields.

One Nation's Dawson candidate Julie Hall and One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts at the Coral Cay Motel in Mackay. Picture: Duncan Evans

The practice — commonly known as blackbirding — was formally apologised for by the Queensland Government in 2022.

Stephen Andrew, One Nation MP for Mirani, is a descendant of a blackbirded worker, and played a role in securing that acknowledgment.

Also in 2022, the town of Proserpine in the Whitsundays became the backdrop for the Stan television series Black Snow, which touched on blackbirding and the experiences of Australian South Sea Islanders.

When asked about the Facebook post, and if she was aware of our region’s history of blackbirding, Ms Hall said it was an offhand comment which she didn’t believe offended anyone before making a comparison to South Africa.

“The white South Africans are leaving because there’s so much division between the black and the white,” she said.

“I was born in Australia. What happens to all of the white Australians? Where are our rights?
“That’s all I was saying in that post. Everyone should have the same rights.”

The Whitsundays One Nation candidate said she was speaking to a South African woman the day before who had said it would be “very difficult for white people to feel safe in their own country”.

She clarified she “doesn’t really believe” that Australia is heading towards white slavery.

Ms Hall was a self-professed psychic before her tilt at politics, a failed bid for the seat of Dawson followed up with her mayoral win in 2022.

Her first move as Whitsundays mayor was to apologise for her antics during the campaign.

“I feel it is appropriate to start today with a clean slate and offer a public apology to any councillors, directors or staff who I may have inadvertently offended during my election campaign,” Ms Hall said in 2022.

“I am sincerely sorry and I hope you can graciously accept my apology so we can now put the election behind us and focus on working for the community we serve.”

Originally published as Julie Hall, Whitsundays candidate for One Nation warns of ‘white slavery’ following native title ruling