Calls for kindness and respect

FIRST Nations groups in the region are asking people to remember the importance of treating everyone with kindness and respect.

Leaders came together to release a statement after recent incidences of racial discrimination towards Indigenous people ahead of the referendum of a voice to Parliament later this year.

“You have the power to ensure racial violence under the guise of political and social debate is not tolerated,” the statement said.

Dja Dja Wurrung Group CEO Rodney Carter said some of the incidents occurred during NAIDOC Week and included “snide” comments about Indigenous culture.

“I want to support the calling out of this behaviour which I think is childish at the least,” he said.

“I think what we say right around all forms of anti-discrimination and reconciliation is people need to be a bit more open-minded.

“A bit more tolerant of people’s cultural background, the colour of their skin, gender, all those things that we know are really good for a more well community.”

Mr Carter said he would like to see people actively calling out bad behaviour.

“If somebody’s exposed to this, I don’t necessarily think them even arguing the point is a complete solution,” he said.

“But what I would like to see is community intolerance of bad behaviour, more heightened and more aware.

“I think calling it out is as simple as ‘look I understand why you think that way, but I don’t agree with you’.”

As a way of dealing with racial or other discrimination, Mr Carter suggested withdrawing from the conversation and talking to someone trustworthy.

“Don’t keep this trauma to yourself, but don’t turn it into anger either,” he said.

Bendigo District Aboriginal Cooperative CEO Dallas Widdicombe said one of the reported incidences of racial abuse related to a woman wearing an Aboriginal top at a cafe who was confronted by a stranger.

“She was called out with ‘why do you need a voice when you already have everything’,” said Mr Widdicombe.

“How powerful would it have been if at that cafe a non-Aboriginal stood up and said, ‘hey what you just said there was not okay’.

“This doesn’t matter if you’re voting yes or no, it’s about being respectful.”