A parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Indigenous Australians has received more than 420 submissions, many detailing an increasingly toxic online environment. The Australian Human Rights Commission has called for a digital duty of care to prevent social media algorithms from incentivising racist content.
Racist videos and their impact
For the past week and a half, social media feeds of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been flooded with clips from a video posted by a self-declared Australian comedian. The video shows a white woman wearing a fur coat with white dot painting on her face, referring to herself as “Aunty Lisa”. She claims to be Aboriginal after ticking yes on an identity form, and sniffs a red jerry can in an apparent reference to petrol sniffing. First Nations people say this is not an unusual experience, as online racism grows through algorithms that reward divisive content.
Submissions to the inquiry
Guardian Australia read hundreds of submissions. Carl Lymburner and Irene Leard of Townsville-based support group Home described a rise in offensive content targeting Indigenous organisations and individuals. Leard said she hears stories of racism daily, with people judged and labelled wherever they go. Lymburner noted that racist content on social media often remains despite policies against it.
Sam Bennell, who started an account to share Noongar culture, gained nearly 10,000 followers but saw racist comments increase when his content reached wider audiences. He said Facebook seemed to push his content to racists, affecting his mental health.
Response to the viral video
The video posted by Victorian woman Lisa Jane Spencer was widely criticised as mocking Indigenous culture and perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Spencer defended it as satire, comparing it to ABC’s Black Comedy. Kamilaroi man Jordan Hindmarsh-Keevil, known as Your Online Brother, said the timing at the end of Reconciliation Week was deliberate and harmful, calling it racism hidden as comedy. Meta removed the video after nine days for breaching hateful conduct policies, stating they take the issue seriously and encourage reporting.
After the video went viral, Spencer was fired from her job. Over $49,000 was raised for her on GiveSendGo, despite terms prohibiting racist fundraisers. She later posted two more similar videos. Hindmarsh-Keevil used the backlash to fundraise for an online mental health course for Aboriginal people, with over 500 places paid for this month. He said such videos directly affect Indigenous mental health, describing it as “death by a thousand cuts” and like “carrying a bully in your pocket”.
For crisis support, Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76, Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978, or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
