Australian lawmakers and Indigenous figures have condemned One Nation leader Pauline Hanson over resurfaced remarks in which she described Indigenous Australians as the "most primitive race on Earth."

Hanson made the comments during a podcast appearance last year while discussing the teaching of Indigenous history and culture in Australian schools, ABC News Australia reported Monday.

Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy called the remarks "totally outrageous" and "completely racist," saying such rhetoric was divisive, and urged Hanson to apologize.

Indigenous author, union official and human rights activist Thomas Mayo described Hanson's comments as "shockingly racist" and "ignorantly wrong," while saying they were unsurprising given her political record.

Liberal Senator Kerrynne Liddle also condemned the remarks as "disgraceful," while Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price accused Hanson of "wilful ignorance."

One Nation, a right-wing populist minor party founded and led by Hanson, has long advocated tighter immigration controls and campaigned against multiculturalism.

The controversy emerged as One Nation unveiled proposals to sharply reduce migration, including cuts to visas for international students and graduates and restrictions affecting family members of students and migrant workers.

Hanson has been a prominent and frequently controversial figure in Australian politics since entering federal parliament in the 1990s. (AA)