22/09/2022
Your editorial yesterday in response to the racism allegations at Hawthorn Football Club is appreciated but far from even considered to be far reaching.
There is no question or doubt that it is now incumbent on every football club in Australia to undertake a review of their own systems and processes. However those of us who have worked in this space for a very long time can assure you that the football clubs are nothing but a reflection of and a microcosm of the wider Australian society.
As Eddie Betts (Indigenous origin ex footballer) has indicated, the behaviour of the Football club in this instance is simply what the First Nations People in this country have endured ever since white settlement occurred. And, endured it in just about every facet of their lives.
Yes, conduct a review of the football clubs but if there was any government in Australia with a modicum of commitment to human rights, they should develop an Anti-Racism Strategy with the First Nations People given primacy in that process. Every aspect of society and its norms should be examined within this strategy.
Suresh Rajan