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Opinion
I was at the launch of the Uluru Statement from the Heart’s recent ad supporting the Voice to Parliament.
There was not a dry eye in sight as we watched a clip showing Australia’s slow but evolving relationship with the First Peoples of this land. Among the moments shown on the ad was the infamous Nicky Winmar moment, where he stood up to racism.
On October 14, all Australians will have the opportunity to etch their name into an evolving history of this country. Before that day comes, the AFL – often derided for its treatment of Indigenous players and staff – will have the chance to contribute.
On September 30, the AFL will hold the 2023 grand final. Approximately three million Australians will tune in to watch two teams battle it out for the holy grail of the sport.
The grand final allows the AFL, clubs, players and fans to reaffirm their support for the Voice to Parliament.
It is an opportune moment for the league to stand up and be counted.
In May this year, the AFL and the NRL stated that they would support a Yes vote when a referendum was held. The news that the AFL may avoid such a declaration during the season’s most-watched game would be a profound disappointment.
Jason Gillespie, Cath Cox, Andrew Gaze and Eddie Betts speak on stage during a media opportunity with Australian sports governing body representatives who will support the Voice, in May 2023. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Given its previous handling of the Hawthorn scandal and the long and continued history of racism in the sport, the AFL risks becoming an anachronistic institution that only communicates to a more limited portion of Australia.
I haven’t been able to watch the game I love since my last piece of writing, in June.
Speaking in 2021 about how the AFL was still not a safe place for Indigenous players, Wirangu, Kokatha and Guburn man Eddie Betts stated:
I’m not the one that’s going to make change. It’s not on Aboriginal people here in Australia… we need everyone to chip in.
Eddie Betts, 2021
It certainly doesn’t feel like the AFL is all in on meeting this standard.
Contrast that with the Matildas, who captured the country’s heart and garnered over 11 million viewers for their semi-final match at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
While away for work, I stood in an Adelaide bar as people united with genuine love, solidarity and pride in one of Australia’s most diverse and authentic sporting teams. While the Matildas lost that semi-final, it felt like a win for new nation-building.
The AFL can contribute to this.
An AFL that we can be prouder of would be one that drew more supporters, more players and more respect.
There is no doubt that this pursuit would come with challenges. But the Uluru Statement from the Heart wasn’t an invitation to stand still. It was an invitation to ‘walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future’.
Our vote on October 14th at the referendum will measure how we see ourselves as a nation.
The AFL and its hierarchy have their referendum due even sooner.
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