Embarrassed officials scrambled Tuesday to explain how members of Australia's conservative government backed a parliamentary motion declaring "it is okay to be white", blaming the decision on an "administrative process failure".
The resolution, tabled in the Senate on Monday, was drafted by populist firebrand Pauline Hanson and railed against what it described as "the deplorable rise of anti-white racism." The motion was narrowly defeated 31-28, with several government ministers voting in favour, including its top official for indigenous affairs.
It emerged Tuesday that Attorney General Christian Porter had issued instructions to senators from the governing Liberal party to back Hanson's motion. Following the vote, Porter tweeted, "The Government Senators' actions in the Senate this afternoon confirm that the Government deplores racism of any kind."
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