Sam Newman’s bigoted rant shows inaction emboldens racists

Callan Morse
Callan Morse Published August 1, 2023 at 2.05pm (AWST)

Warning: some readers may find quotes and images in this report offensive.

Sam Newman's long-time, inherent racist attitude towards Indigenous Australians has once again reared its ugly head, after the football and media personality delivered a 10-minute rant about Aboriginal history on the podcast You Cannot Be Serious.

Co-hosting You Cannot Be Serious alongside former Hawthorn footballer Don Scott, Newman delivered a tirade of abusive and downright racist comments about Aboriginal people and Indigenous culture.

After reciting a Welcome to Country, carelessly mispronouncing Indigenous words as he went, the former Geelong footballer proceeded to question the purpose of delivering the cultural acknowledgement in educational and sporting contexts.

"The Indigenous people don't have a... almost their history is irrelevant. They don't have a history," Newman said of Australia's Aboriginal history.

"They hunt and they kill things and they eat them?"

Newman went on to say he does not believe schools should be educating students about Australia's Indigenous history, agreeing with his co-host that delivering a Welcome to Country in a primary school setting amounted to indoctrination.

"I hope they're taught the history of Australia from 1770 when Cook or whoever came here," Newman said.

Newman and Don Scott (left) co-host the You Cannot Be Serious podcast. (Image: Instagram)

Going on to question Scott about the point of teaching Indigenous history, Newman showed his true racist colours, disregarding examples of Indigenous history and culture provided by his co-host whilst downplaying the significance of Australia's Indigenous past.

"So what is the history? I'm being serious – what is the history to teach?," Newman said in response to Scott's examples of Indigenous history and culture.

"That wouldn't take a hell of a lot of time to teach. If you're going to be honest, give us the history about who came here and who developed the country… I don't think there's a hell of a lot of indigenous history to learn."

He then quickly returned to pour more cold water on Welcome to Country ceremonies, this time suggesting delivering a Welcome to Country in the presence of children amounted to pandering and brainwashing.

"That grovelling, self-gratification of people who are pandering to people," Newman said.

"We don't need to have all that interruption being brainwashed to kids. It's abhorrent, it's cringeworthy. It is absolutely cringeworthy to have it go on and on."

Newman has a history of racist behaviour, having wore blackface on Channel Nine's The Footy Show in 1999. (Image: Channel 9)

Newman took aim at the FIFA Women's World Cup tournament currently being hosted by Australia and New Zealand, implying the delivery of a Welcome to County at matches between visiting nations as pointless.

"It goes on and on. You give them an inch and it just keeps going and going until we're fed up with the whole bloody thing."

Doing the podcast Newman also downplayed the Voice to Parliament, saying Voice supporters should be embarrassed about their position on the upcoming referendum.

Newman has a long history of bigotry. In 1999 he wore blackface on live national television on The Footy Show, mocking St Kilda star Nicky Winmar, who six years earlier had taken a famous stand against racism at Victoria Park.

Newman kept his job on The Footy Show for years after the incident, and in a documentary shot years later co-host and former Collingwood Football Club president Eddie McGuire defended Newman's behaviour.

Newman later criticised Adam Goodes at the height of the booing campaign targeting the Indigenous football legend.

Newman's blatantly prejudicial and bigoted attitude towards Indigenous Australians was rightfully condemned as profoundly racist and disgraceful following the podcast's airing, perhaps summed up none better than by proud Nyamal woman and 2018 Western Australian of the Year, Dr Tracey Westerman.

"Sam Newman exists because Australia can't seem to understand the difference between freedom of speech & hate speech," Dr Westerman said via Twitter.

Come on Sam, you cannot be serious.

Callan Morse is a proud Palawa man of Trawlwoolway heritage from north-west Tasmania.

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Disclaimer: This function is AI-generated and therefore may mispronounce.

National Indigenous Times

Disclaimer: This function is AI-generated and therefore may mispronounce.