Roar Rookie
Joined May 2023
3.5k
Views
2
Published
10
Comments
Published
Comments
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…
The AFL is a sports behemoth that owes much of its success to astute investment and political risk management – but also to racism.…
more like Lame-ian Barrett amirite.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy
Yes there’s a range of things they could have done, even if they paid for it. For example, they could have commissioned an external review into the club by the Australian Human Rights Commission or the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission. That would have been a far more credible response than what they did here.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy
Of course that is possible. I note though that I’ve worked at various external complaints agencies, and agencies are very unlikely to deal with this stuff well internally. The Collingwood ‘Do Better’ report outlined this very clearly.
I think history has told us that clubs and the AFL invariably don’t do this well and that First Nations complainants don’t get a fair go.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy
It’s really the AFL’s response though that makes me pull up stumps. It’s so bad faith in my view.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy
Yes this is my point. I agree Birdman.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy
Thanks for this. I’m reasonably across law and human rights. The point is that we know nothing of the allegations and whether they were true or not, because the AFL’s process lacked credibility. The players understandably did not want to participate in it.
They’ll now head to the AHRC to conciliate their matter. We’ll then get to see whether the views were proven or not proven.
It may be true that Hawthorn’s process could have been better handled. Realistically, we need an independent review of this whole process, including the AFL, to know that for certain.
But to threaten sanctions against the clubs for undertaking a review into racism is a pretty poor use of the AFL’s authority. This will send a signal to all clubs not to undertaken reviews in the future and that the AFL will not have their back. Part of the reason the AFL made these threats is to deflect attention away from how they have mishandled their own investigation. That’s why I hold their threat in such contempt.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy
Thanks for commenting Angela. I reckon we disagree on a fair bit here but I’ll do my best to see if we can at least clarify where we disagree.
Re the 1st point, I’m not sure I fully understand. But I think you’re trying to say does this make a difference because these are First Nations players, or should it be handled differently? Am I applying a different standard to this because they’re First Nations players? If I’ve understood you then I guess I’d say I think more care needs to be given to the process given the long and recent history of racism in the sport and of how the clubs and AFL have handled it poorly in the past. Not certain I’ve answered your question though.
I think the claimants have explained their position pretty well in their statement released last night on this. That wasn’t their goal. I think had the AFL established a separate investigation, by an agency such as the Australian Human Rights Commission, this could have been dealt with better for all parties.
I guess the third point is just a matter of conjecture. I have worked in human rights agencies and witnessed all manner of bad things that defy community standards. In some ways neither of us are well placed to prosecute this point.
On the last point I think there can be multiple sources, but again when those ideas are claimed and taken within the context of colonisation, the meaning of that appropriation is different from taking elements of Gaelic football.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy
Thanks Birdman for engaging and for conscientiously commenting too.
I mean one thing I would say is that I think a few players have already left the game and have been traumatised. You possibly saw the release from Cyril yesterday? He left the game early over parts of this stuff is my understanding.
I just think the AFL has been given so many opportunities to address this. It’s not really about me when I say this. It’s more about trying to force the AFL to do something. In my view its just commercial interests that drive them, hence my recommendation of a boycott.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy
That’s a totally fair question. I’d answer it in a few ways.
First, that what the right steps are should be defined by current and past First Nations AFL players and staff. Far be it from me to define what that looks like.
Second, I think there’s things we can safely say what not to do. The timing of the press conference: bad faith, don’t do that. The disrespectful delivery of the lines from Gill: don’t do that. The clear attempt to deflect attention onto Hawthorn and away from the AFL: don’t do that.
Third, the AFL should have commissioned outside advice from the beginning. They could have paid for reviews at far more arms-length, such as by the Australian Human Rights Commission or the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, to examine this. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner June Oscar may have had some influence over that. In many ways, that would have been a more reliable and culturally safe process. Instead, here we are.
Fourth, the lack of trust by some players to participate in the process is the product of successive failures by the AFL. So the quagmire was partly of their making.
I think your question is a good one and a discussion worth having. Importantly, First Nations players, staff and leaders should lead that though.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy
Yeah this is a great extension or deeper points to what I was thinking. I think if it wasn’t a referendum year, there’d be a chance the Cth Govt would set up such an inquiry, but that would be too divisive right now/impact the Yes campaign.
The AFL's response to Hawthorn racism investigation has turned me off footy