Peter Overton Faces Backlash Over Election Night While Discussing First Aboriginal MP

Veteran Channel Nine newsreader Peter Overton found himself in an awkward moment during the network’s live election night broadcast after using the outdated and now considered offensive term “Aborigine” on air.

While covering results in the Queensland seat of Bonner — named after Neville Bonner AO, the first Indigenous Australian to sit in the federal parliament — Overton referenced Bonner as “the first Aborigine to serve in the Australian parliament and a Liberal.”

Though Overton paused briefly as if realizing the mistake, the broadcast continued without any formal correction.

The term “Aborigine” has long been criticized for its colonial-era associations and the way it generalizes the diverse identities of First Nations people. Reconciliation Australia explains that the term carries racist connotations, reinforces negative stereotypes, and groups diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures under one outdated label.

Amnesty International has echoed these sentiments, advising people to instead use “Aboriginal person”, “Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander”, or even specific nation or clan names if known. They further noted that “aboriginal” (lowercase) can refer to Indigenous people globally and originates from the Latin word for “original inhabitant”.

As the vote count continued in Bonner, a notable swing to Labor was evident. Labor’s Kara Cook led the race with 54.7 percent of the vote, compared to incumbent Liberal MP Ross Vasta’s 45.3 percent — an 8.1 percent swing.

Neville Bonner entered the Senate in 1971, appointed by the Queensland Parliament to fill a casual vacancy. He later became the first Indigenous Australian elected to federal parliament by popular vote — a historic achievement in the nation’s political journey.