Liberal MP Dennis Jensen has defended telling an Indigenous woman to "get over" colonialism on Twitter by saying he used 'inappropriate channels of communication'.
The West Australian parliamentarian, who is infamously known to have boycotted Kevin Rudd's apology to the stolen generation, was asked by a person with the Twitter handle @thekooriwoman why he didn't attend the event.
Minister Jensen's replies included: "Hell, how long ago was colonialism? Get over it. Every country in the world has been successfully invaded in the past."
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He then attemped to turn the tables, labelling the Indigenous community as racist.
"Abstudy is not a program available to all, so discriminatory and racist."
Abstudy is a government run program which assists with costs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who are studying or in an apprenticeship.
In an email sent to NITV this afternoon Dennis Jensen said: "In expressing my desire for true Indigenous advancement, I may have used inappropriate channels of communication"
"I want to engage with the Indigenous community constructively to unleash the obvious potential of your community. Let's start talking, because we can do better."
