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AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says he is disgusted by a reference to Indigenous footballers as cannibals.

The remark was made by former Western Australian and Victorian footballer Mal Brown at a function in Melbourne yesterday.

During the lunch to promote this year’s 15th EJ Whitten legends match, Brown referred to an occasion when a match had been played on a poorly lit ground.

“And because there were no lights, I couldn’t pick any of the cannibals. I couldn’t pick Nicky Winmar or Michael Mitchell,” he said.

“All the good black fellows, we couldn’t pick them because they couldn’t see them in the light.”

Mr Brown has conceded his comments were “inappropriate” but he says there was no malice or racism in his remarks.

“I accept that today it is totally inappropriate. I accept that,” he told SEN Radio in Melbourne.

“But I’ve made a dickhead of myself before, I’ll make it again.

“And some of the Aboriginal boys will say, ‘that silly dickhead, he’s done it again’, and others will say, ‘well that’s him’.”

Brown says he has spent many years playing and working with Aboriginal footballers.

“I know these kids and they know that what I say would not have any racism in it. It was just a silly terminology that I used at the wrong time at the wrong place,” he said.

His remarks come just days after racist comments by NSW State of Origin assistant coach Andrew Johns prompted Parramatta’s Timana Tahu to quit the squad.

‘In the minority’

Demetriou says Brown does not speak for the AFL.

“He is in the minority and I’d say in a very, very small minority, because we’ve spent years and years educating players, administrators, club officials,” he said.

“And I think the football population in general – our fans – would share my disgust.

“If you can find people out there, anyone in the community who would stand up and say, ‘those comments are worthwhile and I support them’, I would be absolutely horrified.”

Demetriou also says Brown’s comments do not reflect the current culture of the sport.

“Those sort of old player lunches are exactly what they are: a reflection of a bygone era,” he said.

“They’re not part of Australia today and they’re certainly not part of our football community.”

But the inaugural coach of the Fremantle Dockers, Gerard Neesham, has defended Brown.

Neesham, who runs Aboriginal football academies around Australia, says Brown has a history of strong support for Indigenous players.

“I think the comments were silly and Brownie himself virtually apologised,” Neesham said.

“What’s more important for me as a person who played against the sides that Mal coached in the 70s and 80s, he was the first person to actually have large numbers of Aboriginal men playing in his teams in any major league in Australia.

“Someone had to break down the barrier of having not one or two or three players, I mean he had five and six in his team constantly, and they were wonderful teams to play against – the whole team, not just the Aboriginal fellows.

“He was the first person to really break down the barrier of having large numbers of Aboriginal players in a major league team.”

Brown is a former Richmond player and the father of Hawthorn footballer Campbell Brown.

The Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) will deliver a report to Queensland Parliament today into the police handling of the 2004 death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee on Palm Island in the state’s north.

Mr Doomadgee, 36, died in police custody after being arrested by Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley on Palm Island.

He had massive internal injuries, which a coronial inquest ruled were caused by the officer.

But a jury later acquitted Senior Sergeant Hurley of Mr Doomadgee’s manslaughter.

Earlier this year, a third inquest handed down an open finding, but was highly critical of the police involvement in the case, pointing to collusion between officers.

The CMC has been reviewing the internal police report into the investigation of the death and will table it today.

Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey says the CMC will be delivered to family members this morning.

Councillor Lacey says he understands a CMC representative is travelling to Palm Island this morning to deliver the report to the community.

“That’s correct and I think they’re sending a co-commissioner who sits on the CMC board who is also being sent to Palm this morning to give a copy of the report to the family and the community members who have been following this issue for quite some time,” he said.

The CMC has taken two years to finalise the report and held off releasing it until other legal action ended.

But the Queensland Police Union (QPU) has criticised the CMC for failing to take over the investigation once allegations of improper conduct were made about the police.

QPU president Ian Leavers says the CMC should take action against its own staff.

“Leaked reports point to grave criticism of the investigation that police carried out, yet it was the CMC who had the power to take over the investigation at any time there was an allegation of wrongdoing by an officer,” he said.

“It’s the CMC as the overviewing body who should be held responsible.

“Which CMC officers are now going to be disciplined or sacked for failing to take over the investigation.”

However, Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson says the public can have confidence in the service despite the report.

Commissioner Atkinson has defended the culture within the police service but concedes there is always room for improvement.

“We need to look at things in terms of balance and perspective,” he said.

“We’ve got 14,500 people, 10,500 sworn officers, and a very large police department.

“I wish I could say to you and the people of Queensland that none of our people will ever, ever, ever, do the wrong thing but I can’t do that.

“What’s important is though that it’s identified and dealt with and I believe that’s happening.”

Andrew Johns has been accused of using terms such as “nigger” and “monkey” to describe Indigenous rugby league players in the latest claims of racism against the besieged former league star.

Johns stepped down from his role as New South Wales assistant coach on Saturday, hours after it was revealed that star winger Timana Tahu had walked out on the Blues’ camp in Kingscliff.

Tahu had taken offence to a racist remark Johns had made in relation to Queensland centre Greg Inglis, and the Blues were unable to stop him from leaving camp before mediation attempts were possible.

Johns apologised profusely for the initial comment, saying he was shattered to have offended his former Newcastle Knights premiership team-mate.

But in a statement Tahu said the comment was not an isolated incident.

Indigenous Rugby League Council board member Sol Bellear told ABC Local Radio in Brisbane today that he had spoken with senior members of Tahu’s family at the weekend.

Bellear was told by the Tahu family that Johns had used a range of derogatory terms towards players of Indigenous heritage, and Inglis was not the only target.

“Greg Inglis wasn’t the only one who was sledged, [the one] he used those words at,” he said.

“He used the word ‘nigger’, he used the word ‘black b’, he used the word ‘monkey’ at other players of colour as well… and other words such as ‘coon’ and the like.

“[Blues centre] Beau Scott said, and even Johns admitted it, but Beau Scott also said that he was told to ‘shut the black c… down’.

“Inglis and them are not just the deadliest players on the park, but you don’t hear nothing coming out of Andrew Johns’ mouth in relation to [Queensland full-back Billy] Slater or Cam Smith or Darren Lockyer about ‘shutting the white c…s down’.”

Lack of understanding

Bellear said Johns simply does not understand racism or the impact that his comments have on players of colour.

“That’s the unfortunate thing, that’s why I’m taking a big stand on this, that we really must understand what racism is and the different effects it has on different people and different players,” he said.

“If we keep covering up inappropriate sexual behaviour when they’re on tour, then that would continue to go on.

“We had to take a very strong stand on sexual assaults… that was being carried on by players, and sponsors withdrew to highlight it and say ‘enough’s enough’.

“Sexual assault against women has emotional and physical issues there, [and] this to a lot of Aboriginal people is an emotional thing.

“But in order to arrest racism in rugby league we need to have a zero tolerance policy.”

The Newcastle Knights say they will not make any decisions about Johns’ coaching role at the club until they have a better understanding of the incident, while Tahu’s club Parramatta is also considering Johns’ position as a part-time coach.

The incident has polarised opinions in rugby league circles.

Gold Coast centre Preston Campbell said he was proud of Tahu for taking the stand, while outspoken former New South Wales five-eighth Anthony Mundine said Indigenous players should boycott tonight’s Origin encounter in support of Tahu.

But Maroons hooker Cameron Smith, who said the Queensland camp had not been affected by the incident and that Inglis was moving past it, thought Mundine’s calls to action were going too far.

“I think that’s probably a bit extreme,” he said.

“It comes down to the individual and how they feel.

“Timana obviously felt very strongly which is why he left.

“I think it would hurt the game if all the indigenous boys left and it would hurt the fans.”

Blues skipper Kurt Gidley says he is devastated the remark has strained the long friendship between Tahu and Johns, while Blues hooker Michael Ennis said the incident will not impact on the team’s performance in Origin II.

Residents of the small opal mining town of Mintabie, in South Australia’s far north, say authorities have been deafeningly silent over new alcohol restrictions to be implemented next month.

The laws banning residents from drinking alcohol anywhere other than the Mintabie Hotel were passed late last year and are expected to be enforced in July.

They are aimed at combating any smuggling of alcohol onto the surrounding Aboriginal lands.

Lee Craggs from the Mintabie Miners Progress Association says opposition to the laws has not died down but information about them has.

“They just haven’t informed us officially when it’s going to start … and to change over they’d have to give us some sort of grace or notify us beforehand that it’s going to be starting on July 1,” she said.

“But they haven’t said boo. We’re deafened by the silence.”

Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation executive director, Nerida Saunders, says Mintabie lease arrangements are being finalised.

She says once they are completed, local community and businesses will be told about start dates and conditions.

A community group says work is progressing well on a tribute to southern Queensland Indigenous champion Tom Dancey.

Dancey won Australia’s premier foot race, the Stawell Gift, 100 years ago.

When he died in 1957, he was buried in an unmarked grave in his home town of Dirranbandi in Queensland’s southern inland region.

A group, including members of his family, state and local government officials, want to place a headstone on his grave and erect a monument in the local park.

Group member Peter Rookas says they also want to stage a memorial foot race in October.

“We do have some photos of Tom and one in particular from the Stawell Gift in 1910 would you believe and that is going to be the basis of the artwork that will be used to build the statue if you like or to carve the statue,” he said.

“Certainly will create a lot of memories for the family. It’ll put to rest the fact that here’s a guy who actually achieved a world feat in winning the Stawell Gift and he will be duly recognised as a great Aboriginal sportsman who should be recognised for the feat that he achieved in 1910.”

Legal argument is continuing in the Supreme Court in Darwin for a Central Australian community’s challenge against the amalgamation of local governments in the Northern Territory.

The lawyer for the Amoonguna community, David Bennett, QC, is arguing for an order that would allow the community to access seized assets to fund their its challenge.

The assets of the community were seized when it was amalgamated into the West MacDonnell Shire.

The community wants to challenge the constitutionality of the amalgamation.

Mr Bennett told the court if they cannot access that money it will allow the Government to do anything as long as it disables people’s ability to challenge it.

The Federal Government is confident millions of dollars of additional funds provided to the Batchelor Institute will help secure the Indigenous education institute’s future.

The Government has committed $8.9 million to support a partnership between the institute and Charles Darwin University.

The federal Minister for Remote Services, Warren Snowdon, says the university will manage staff and student administration.

Mr Snowdon says the two institutions will also share the delivery of some tertiary courses.

“Batchelor Institute will retain its independence, retain its identity, but they will run courses in partnership and they will work towards developing new courses,” he said.

“As to what those courses will be, I’m not in a position to say, but what I can tell you is that there is a high expectation that Batchelor continues to focus on traditionally core business.”

The Northern Territory Education Union says it needs more information before it supports the plan for the Batchelor Institute to partner with Charles Darwin University.

The union’s Adam Lampe says the union wants a guarantee the institute will remain independent into the future.

“We don’t know what’s been put forward, that’s the problem,” he said.

“We need to see the detail around the proposal.

“What’s going to have to happen now is a period of fairly heated argument until we reach at least some kind of understanding about what’s going on.”

An artist-owned Aboriginal art gallery says the Federal Government must make major modifications to its resale royalty scheme for visual artists.

Minister for the Arts Peter Garrett is in Alice Springs today to launch the scheme, which kicks off tomorrow.

The scheme will see artists given a 5 per cent commission on works sold for more than $1000.

Papunya Tula Artists general manager Paul Sweeney says the Government needs to consider exemptions for companies with a similar structure to Papunya Tula.

“Old paintings that were obviously selling for very high amounts and, the thought of a 5 per cent residual coming back to the estate of those artists or those particular artists if they were still alive, was what was motivating us to support the scheme.

“But I think they’ve got some tidying up to do.”

The director of RAFT Artspace, Dallas Gold, says the intentions behind the scheme are good but it will create a bureaucratic nightmare.

“People that I’ve talked to, my colleagues in the industry, are mostly worried about a new thing, more paperwork brought into and discouraging investment in the arts industry in a flat market.”

The Alice Springs Town Council is reviewing its policy of banning hawkers without permits from selling artwork in the Todd Mall.

The council’s chief executive, Rex Mooney, says a number of art gallery operators say it is unfair to their business and are also complaining about the antisocial behaviour of some of the people selling art.

He says the council has been in talks with the Uniting Church, where many artists paint on the lawn.

“Well there might be a review of the permit fee, there might be some hours to confine the activity to,” Mr Mooney said.

“Some of the practices take place when our rangers aren’t available, so there’s a whole review of the practices and the procedures that we have in place at the moment.”

But an Aboriginal artist who often sells her paintings in the Todd Mall says she wants to be allowed to continue.

Artist Margaret Scobie says she likes to sell her paintings from the Uniting Church lawns so she can tell tourists her stories and catch up with people for a chat.

“Why they tell us to move away with the canvas, we’re just sitting with the canvas,” she said.

“We’re not doing anything, we’re just trying to sell our canvas for money.”

JUST over 10 years ago, Emily Rohr was approached at her Broome gallery by a young indigenous artist named Daniel Walbidi. He told her there were old people in his community who “needed to paint”.

Ever since, Ms Rohr has been a vigorous champion of the Yulparitja artists from the northwest community of Bidyadanga, and their colourful work has grown in stature around the world, commanding prices of up to $30,000.

But Ms Rohr says the federal government’s resale royalty will have unintended consequences for those artists and her business.

“It’s going to have an immediate effect,” she said. “We will stop buying art upfront. Artists will lose sales.”

From tomorrow, all artworks resold for more than $1000 will be subject to a 5 per cent royalty.

The scheme is intended to benefit artists (or their families) when their work attracts high prices in the secondary market.

Quality works by important artists appreciate in value, and prices are boosted further by commissions of up to 40 per cent.

But there are concerns about how the additional 5 per cent charge will affect the market, particularly for Aboriginal art.

Some Aboriginal art centres, such as Papunya Tula Artists in Alice Springs, pay their artists directly, so the royalty would be charged at the first subsequent sale. Wary of attracting the resale royalty too soon, some dealers say they will reduce the amount of Aboriginal art they sell.

In Broome, Ms Rohr’s Short Street Gallery has about 100 suppliers, including Papunya Tula. Ms Rohr said she would suspend buying work from “resale royalty territory” until the situation became clearer.

Complicating the matter further, Ms Rohr said she occasionally paid artists from Bidyadanga upfront, potentially attracting the royalty at the next sale there as well. She describes the scheme as a “tax on art”.

“In the short term, people like Papunya Tula are going to lose sales because all of us are going to step back . . . and that’s the last thing I want to do,” she said.

Papunya Tula manager Paul Sweeney said he had “serious reservations” about the scheme, which the Copyright Agency Limited will charge a 10 per cent fee to administer.

“We’re a company owned by 49 Aboriginal shareholders that represents approximately 100 artists,” he said. “It seems rather futile for us to be collecting and submitting a royalty on behalf of artists, only to have CAL send it back to them less 10 per cent.”