First Nations anti-racism advocates have condemned an Instagram reel described by its creator as "satire", saying it relies on racist stereotypes and risks causing harm to Indigenous communities.
On Tuesday, Mornington Peninsula based Lisa Jane Spencer, a non-Aboriginal woman, uploaded a reel with SBS's Insight watermark, in which she appears as a fictional character on the program, "Aunty Lisa," who has recently identified as Aboriginal.
In the video, Ms Spencer delivers lines that mock First Nations language and terms, including "blakfella", while wearing a fur coat and white paint on her face, appearing to imitate the ceremonial use of white ochre.
At the end of the reel, Ms Spencer appears to sniff from a jerry can, in an apparent reference to petrol sniffing — a serious addiction issue which has caused harm in some regional non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal communities.
SBS has made a clear stance on the video in a statement saying the broadcaster "condemns all forms of racism."
"SBS is aware of these posts and the unauthorised use of SBS logos. The posts and individuals are in no way associated with our content and have been reported," they said
Proud Noongar and Yamatji woman, advocate, youth worker, and ABC Indigenous and NITV correspondent, Brooke Blurton, told her Instagram followers it was important to understand "this was not a joke".
"It's about actually recognising the real impact that this has and continues to have on communities, on families, but especially young people who are already facing massive amounts of discrimination and prejudice every day," Ms Blurton said.
Ms Blurton urged her followers not to engage with the content, saying attention would only amplify its reach.
Meanwhile, Proud Bunuba woman and Fight Against Racism co-founder, Obby Bedford, described the reel as racist, and said discriminatory behaviour was often driven by insecurity.
"What I like to say to my nephews and nieces, when someone is racist, is that racist people are usually not very firm in their identity," Ms Bedford said.
"So they're going to attack people with strong identity and stronger culture, because there's a lot of jealousy there, but that is not our problem, that's not our issue," she said.
Ms Spencer doubled down in her response to the widespread backlash to her video in an Instagram story, saying in part, "I apologise to absolutely nobody, not the Aboriginals".
"Although you're entitled to feeling offended, you're also proving my point. You need victimhood, there's nothing stopping you from taking the joke and laughing," Ms Spencer said.
She declared to "love Aboriginal people" while also saying "petrol sniffing happens, it's a very real thing in remote Australia" and admitting to using it as her punchline.
A federal government spokesperson told National Indigenous Times "there is no place for racism".
"A parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at First Nations people is underway. It follows a reported increase in racism against First Nations Australians, especially online," the spokesperson said.
"The inquiry is investigating the effect of online platforms on the reach, prominence and harm caused by racism and hate directed at First Nations people.
The spokesperson underlined the seriousness of discrimination, saying "all Australians are responsible for calling out racism."
