An Indigenous woman who alleges the Hawthorn Football Club subjected her to appalling mistreatment won’t take part in the “unsafe” AFL investigation.
The AFL had appointed a four-person panel to lead an “independent investigation into allegations of racist behaviour, bullying, and/or other inappropriate conduct by the Hawthorn Football Club” between 2008 and 2016.
Amy will not take part in an investigation into allegations of racism at Hawthorn.Credit:Getty Images
Lawyers for the Gunditjmara and Bunitj woman, referred to as Amy in a statement released on Wednesday, said the Hawthorn cultural safety review forced her to relive her own trauma.
And in an eight-page statement she said she did not want to participate in the “unsafe process” of the AFL investigation into the allegations.
Through her lawyers Amy raised concerns about the investigation because fundamental concerns were ignored, and she was only given two days to consider the terms of reference.
She was left with no choice but not to participate in the process, according to the statement.
Key reasons she is not participating are because the investigation is not independent, it continues a pattern of abuse it is supposedly addressing, it is rushed and not culturally safe.
Another issue is that the league does not have the appetite, expertise or strategy to effectively address the issues raised in the cultural review.
“We express our deep concern for the First Nations players and their families who are involved in this process – one that may as well have been consciously designed to reproduce that it is meant to be addressing,” the statement reads.
The Hawthorn review that sparked the AFL investigation contained testimonies from former players and their partners about their time at the club. Allegations in the review, that were published by the ABC, included a claim from one Indigenous player that he was told that his partner had to terminate her pregnancy.
“I could either stay numb and silent, or I could find my voice and play my part in the struggle to try and create safety and protection for our young ones who would inevitable face these systems,” Amy said.
The AFL has been contacted for comment.
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