Australia's new race discrimination commissioner has been peppered with questions about whether "it's OK to be white" during his first public grilling.
Chin Tan, who took on the role three weeks ago, copped a barrage of questions about the white supremacist slogan during a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday.
Mr Tan confirmed he was not asked for advice before government senators voted in favour of a One Nation motion endorsing the slogan last week.
The government later claimed its senators had voted in error, demanding a second vote to reverse its position.
Mr Tan, who released a statement condemning the inflammatory motion last week, was initially reluctant to express a personal view at the public hearing in Canberra.
But under persistent questioning from opposition and crossbench senators, the commissioner acquiesced.
"Racism in any form against anyone is unacceptable," Mr Tan told the committee.
Asked about the rise of the far right, Mr Tan said any increase in extremism or supremacy was concerning.
Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, representing the attorney-general at the public hearing, was also grilled about why she initially voted for the motion.
Labor's Murray Watt also pressed Senator Reynolds about whether she understood the significance of the white supremacist phrase before casting her original vote.
Senator Reynolds objected to the questions, arguing they were not relevant.
"This is not a forum for asking me questions on political issues," she told Senator Watt.
"Any grandstanding stunts are best suited for another place."
Senator Reynolds eventually opted to read a statement from the attorney-general, which blamed staffers for the "administrative error" and said the origins of the "It's OK to be white" motion weren't appreciated.
Mr Tan, whose predecessor Tim Soutphommasane was heavily criticised by the government for being too "divisive" and focused on negative trends, said he received no directions about how to conduct himself.
In his final months in the role, Mr Soutphommasane spoke out against some sections of the media using racism as part of their business model.
Mr Tan said all forms of racism were of concern to him, but it was too early in his tenure to place any particular emphasis on specifics.
