One Nation and Indigenous Reconciliation

Abstract

Hanson and her party believe in Australia: They believe in our common culture, in our identity as Australians, and in giving one another a “fair go”. They themselves, however, have not consistently afforded everyone a fair go, and their divisive and alienating approach to leadership is hardly conducive to the kind of national unity that they would like Australia to have. Reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was never going to be easy. But as I seek to explain, it is possible to see how progress can been made; it is also clear that significant progress has been made. Many of us tend to assume that political correctness is beneficial to people who belong to oppressed or marginalized groups. But political correctness is unpopular, and One Nation’s opposition to it undoubtedly helps to explain some of the support that they enjoy. This chapter advances three concerns about political correctness: that it is intellectually corrupting, psychologically enfeebling, and socially divisive. Correspondingly, I suggest that in the interests of genuine reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians it would be better to favor various familiar virtues, norms, and practices. These include, for example, good humor, a generosity of spirit, patience, politeness, and the kind of genuine conversation that is sustained by mutual curiosity.