Q: How do you stop hate culture? A: Meet it with love
Rudi Maxwell and Cassandra Morgan |
Stan Grant has challenged the media to do better during his last ABC hosting slot before a hiatus as Australia’s deputy prime minister branded abuse targeted at the Indigenous journalist as revolting.
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles on Tuesday lauded Grant as a “wonderful Australian” who had made a huge contribution to public debate and the country’s broadcasting landscape.
“To see somebody of his calibre, saying what he said and taking the steps that he has, has got to give us all pause for thought about the public debate and the public environment in which we live today in Australia,” he told ABC radio.
Mr Marles said he avoided reading all the comments on news stories about Grant because they were so troubling and he agreed abuse levelled at the Indigenous journalist was revolting.
Grant announced on Friday he would be stepping aside from his media roles after Monday night’s Q+A program, citing racist abuse directed at him and his family and a lack of support from the ABC.
In his closing remarks on the program, the Wiradjuri man said he was “down right now”, but he would get back up again.
“You can come at me again – and I’ll meet you with the love of my people,” Grant said.
“Don’t mistake our love for weakness, it is our strength. We have never stopped loving and fighting for justice and truth.”
Prominent Liberal MP Julian Leeser said he was shocked at some of the comments made about Grant after his appearance on a panel covering the King’s coronation.
Mr Leeser, who resigned as the party’s Indigenous affairs spokesman over his party’s stance on the voice to parliament, said he had personally contacted Grant in the wake of his decision to step aside and he hoped the journalist would resume his public role soon.
On Monday night, Grant thanked those who had sent messages of support, while he delivered a message to those who had abused him and members of his family.
“If your aim was to hurt, well you’ve succeeded – and I’m sorry,” he said.
“Yindyamarra means I’m not just responsible for what I do, but for what you do.
“It is what it means to be Wiradjuri. It is the core of my being. It is respect.”
But Grant also challenged members of the media to ask whether they were truly honouring a world worth living in.
“Too often we are the poison in the bloodstream of our society,” he said.
“I fear the media does not have the love or the language to speak to the gentle spirits of our land.
“I need a break from the media, I feel like I’m part of the problem and I need to ask myself how or if I can do it better.”
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney told ABC radio on Tuesday that Grant’s experience raised serious issues about the media’s role in the country, particularly in the lead-up to the voice referendum.
ABC staff rallied outside offices in Sydney and Melbourne on Monday in support of Grant, who said the abuse had accelerated following his critical remarks about the monarchy’s role in colonialism.
The public broadcaster promised to review its response to racism affecting staff in line with a recommendation from its internal Indigenous advisory committee.
ABC managing director David Anderson on Sunday apologised for failing to publicly support Grant.
AAP
