Australian actor reportedly calls senator a pelican after monoculture remarks

The senator made the remarks on Wednesday while discussing the concept of Australian monoculture at the National Press Club earlier in the month. The actor, reached by the Australian Financial Review in Venice Beach, California, responded with the bird reference and added that the senator sounded like another political figure.

Prior use of the term The actor previously used the word pelican in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee. In one scene the character tells a New York driver to get on the right side of the road. Another Australian actor used the term in a 2014 social media post after a sports event, later deleting the message.

Historical and cultural context The word pelican has appeared as an insult in literature, including Shakespeare's King Lear. In Australia, several native birds are used in similar ways. The actor also stated that Australia cannot be a monoculture because most residents are migrants and added a wish to die in a multicultural Australia.