Allegations an Aboriginal artist was racially discriminated against by members of a prominent Tasmanian Aboriginal corporation are set to be considered by the state's Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Trawlwoolway artist Reuben Oates has alleged he was vilified and harassed by members and associates of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC), after designing the Tasmania JackJumpers Indigenous round jersey for the 2023/24 NBL season.

National Indigenous Times understands the complaint centres around an allegation the TAC, its employees and associates "define Aboriginality, and the vilification and harassment of those which they do not accept".

It is understood Mr Oates' allegation has been lodged with the state's Anti-Discrimination Commission against the TAC and eight Aboriginal people, including prominent Indigenous rights campaigner Nala Mansell and Rulla Kelly-Mansell.

Last year Mr Oates told National Indigenous Times the dispute surrounding his jersey design highlighted the prominence of deep-seated lateral violence between Aboriginal people in Tasmania.

Mr Oates said his cause "has never been about me".

"It's for the silent majority who are too afraid to speak up," he said.

"This fight is bigger than culture and identity, it's about truth, values, and calling out narratives that have been repeated so often they're mistaken for fact.

"Thousands of Tasmanians with proven Aboriginal ties are denied their heritage and identity, that is what I aim to change."

The JackJumpers disendorsed Mr Oates' jersey design and issued multiple apologies shortly after the TAC lodged a complaint, with Mr Kelly-Mansell saying at the time the inclusion of dots on the design was "highly offensive" to Tasmanian Aboriginal people, a claim strongly refuted by Mr Oates.

"Dots are woven into Tasmanian Indigenous identity To say otherwise is harmful and misleading to our culture," Mr Oates said.

"Our petroglyphs in the northwest, more than 14,000 years old, were etched into stone by our ancestors; made up of circular motifs and dotted lines and symbols."

The following year the JackJumpers appointed an Aboriginal Advisory Panel — comprised of TAC members — who selected a design by Aboriginal artist and TAC member, Caleb Nichols-Mansell.

Mr Oates said since his design was dropped by the JackJumpers he has been subject to claims he is not of Tasmanian Aboriginal heritage, and that "discriminatory and offensive" comments have been made about his identity, including Ms Mansell allegedly stating he's "not even Aboriginal" and allegedly labelling him "White Trash Reuben".

"Nala and I share the same ancestral ties," Mr Oates said. "These claims are made based off emotion and control, not fact."

The full-time artist of more than 12 years — who began selling artwork in the Indigenous space at the age of nine — said he lodged the complaint more than two years ago "out of a commitment to accountability and truth".

"I speak because so many can't. Their silence isn't acceptance, it's fear," he said.

"Culture should be celebrated and respected, not used as a weapon to shame, silence, or suppress people.

"I stand for cultural truth, unity, and integrity, not the politics of exclusion."

Ms Mansell told National Indigenous Times: "Aboriginal identity is determined by Aboriginal communities, not by individuals asserting ancestry, and certainly not by non-Aboriginal institutions or the media."

"Our community has the inherent right and the responsibility to protect the integrity of our identity," she said.

"With the matter now before a statutory process, I do not intend to comment on specific allegations. But I will say this: defending the integrity of Tasmanian Aboriginal identity is not 'vilification' or 'harassment'. It is an act of cultural responsibility that our Elders have carried for generations."

National Indigenous Times understands Mr Oates' complaint, alleging "unlawful discrimination, prohibited conduct, incitement, and victimisation on the basis of race" has been referred by the Office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT), which is yet to determine the matter.

In an interlocutory application, according to The Mercury, the TAC opposed the tribunal hearing the matter, claiming it should either be dismissed due to a jurisdiction issue, or heard by the Magistrates Court.

However, in an interim decision, the tribunal indicated it is the correct body to determine the complaint.

Tribunal senior member Samuel Thompson said Mr Oates' complaint would now proceed to an inquiry at a date yet to be determined, The Mercury reports.