What did Paul Hogan mean by calling Pauline Hanson a 'pelican'?

Paul Hogan pushed back after Pauline Hanson invoked an “Australian monoculture” and named him and Norman Gunston as examples at the National Press Club. Tracked down in Venice Beach, California, the Crocodile Dundee actor said, "She’s a pelican, yeah," and added that Hanson "sounds very much like this stupid boofhead over here, Trump." Calling someone a pelican has a history in Australian speech.

In Crocodile Dundee the character tells a New York driver, "Get on the right side of the road, ya pelican!" Russell Crowe used the term on Twitter after the 2014 NRL grand final and later deleted the post. Shakespeare also used "pelican" in King Lear to suggest grasping, power‑hungry daughters, and while the Australian National Dictionary lacks a specific entry, the online consensus treats it as meaning a fool or a clown.

Australia, Venice Beach, California

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