Paul Hogan Calls Pauline Hanson a 'Pelican' in Heated Exchange Over Multiculturalism
"She's a pelican, yeah."
— Paul Hogan, on Pauline Hanson's remarks about Australian monoculture.
Sydney, Australia — Paul Hogan, the actor best known for his iconic role in Crocodile Dundee, has fired back at One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, labeling her a "pelican" after she called for a return to "Australian monoculture."
Hogan made the comment in an interview with the Australian Financial Review from Venice Beach, California. The term "pelican" is a classic piece of Australian slang, meaning a fool or clown, and was famously used in Hogan's 1986 film Crocodile Dundee — and even appears in Shakespeare's King Lear.
"She sounds very much like this stupid boofhead over here, Trump," Hogan added, drawing a direct comparison between Hanson and the former U.S. president.
Hanson had earlier this month, at the National Press Club, advocated for a return to cultural figures like Hogan and Norman Gunston as essential features of a monocultural Australia. Hogan, however, firmly rejected that vision.
"How can [Australia] be a monoculture? We're all migrants, except the Aboriginals, who as far as we know have been [in Australia] for 60,000 years."
Hogan expressed a clear preference for diversity, stating he wants to "die in a multicultural Australia."
Hanson's original remarks have sparked ongoing debate in Australian politics, with Hogan's response adding a fresh, celebrity-fueled twist to the conversation. The Australian National Dictionary does not list "pelican" as a specific insult, but its use in Australian vernacular is well-recognized, particularly following Hogan's iconic film.