Arabic version: قادة الأمم الأولى يدعون إلى التحرك ضد العنصرية عبر الإنترنت

According to ABC News, First Nations leaders told a Cairns hearing that racist social media comments are harming communities and young people, while the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners described racism as a “public health emergency”. The hearing was part of the federal government’s Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs inquiry into racism, hate, and violence directed at First Nations people.

Merissa Nona of Cairns Indigenous social organisation Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good said racism was affecting future leaders and that adverse comments online were contributing to external pressures on strong community members. Her colleague, Stacee Ketchell, said social media remained an important way to share First Nations culture, but fear of racist reactions influenced publishing decisions. She called for more accountability and regulation, saying responses to racism needed to be informed by people who had experienced it.

Nicole Huxley, an elder from Jumbun, 130 kilometres south of Cairns, said the full impact of social media racism was unknown. She pointed to hateful commentary directed at a video of children dancing during NAIDOC Week celebrations in Charters Towers, saying such responses made it harder for children to participate in wider society and feel proud of their culture. Ms Huxley urged communities, publishers and government agencies to take responsibility for racist comments, while warning that responding to racists online could be draining.

The inquiry is scheduled to travel to the Torres Strait before hearings in Hobart and Melbourne next month.