Pauline Hanson has apologised to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over remarks she made about his late mother, Maryanne, who spent decades living in public housing. The One Nation leader had initially defended her comments when confronted by reporters on Tuesday, but backed down and offered an apology on the condition that Albanese had taken offence, saying she had merely been discussing housing commission policy. She also apologised separately for calling Aboriginal Australians "the most primitive race on earth" during a podcast interview last year, though she insisted she would not shy away from discussing contentious issues facing the country.

The remarks about Albanese's mother originated from a January interview on The Karl Stefanovic Show, in which Hanson criticised the Prime Minister for saying his mother had lived in the same housing commission property for 65 years, arguing such housing should only be a temporary "hand up". Albanese responded forcefully on Sunday, describing his mother as a woman of courage and compassion who raised him alone while suffering from chronic arthritis, and rejecting any suggestion he had complained about his upbringing. Hanson's comments about Aboriginal Australians being "primitive" were made during an appearance on the Jamie J Podcast, and she apologised for them only after being pressed twice by a reporter on Tuesday.