Douglas Nicholls

The antithesis of healing: the AFL turns away from truth-telling again, ending Hawthorn investigation

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 1, 2023
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The Indigenous-led ceremony was a deeply moving instance of community care, love and solidarity.

Key Points: 
  • The Indigenous-led ceremony was a deeply moving instance of community care, love and solidarity.
  • Tuesday’s announcement by the AFL of the termination of the investigation into allegations of racism at Hawthorn was the antithesis of such healing.
  • The AFL has also hinted it may charge Hawthorn with bringing the game into disrepute over its handling of the internal report.

Sorry timing

    • It’s hard not to be cynical about the release of this news after the conclusion of the Sir Doug Nicholls “Indigenous round”, and Sorry Day.
    • If the allegations are true, it could be argued the Hawthorn officials who were involved thought they were acting in the “best interests” of the players.
    • How could the AFL not wish to find out the truth of the matter when the allegations concern such egregious conduct?
    • Outgoing AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan also claimed that the defendants had been “cleared” and the complainants “feel heard”.

(Not) listening to Indigenous voices

    • Yet, in electing to set up its own investigation into the allegations of racism at Hawthorn, the AFL was clearly going against the voices of key Indigenous women at the centre of these allegations.
    • The erasure of Indigenous women’s voices and experiences is also emblematic of life on this continent.
    • Indigenous women in Australia are eight times more likely to be murdered than non-Indigenous women, yet the violence they experience receives far less attention.

Truth-telling

    • What’s clearly needed is for the AFL to engage in a full process of truth-telling.
    • The AFL Players Association is the most recent group to note that the AFL’s investigation into Hawthorn was “not truly independent”.
    • Incoming AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has proclaimed he is not part of a (white) boys club.