Aboriginal singer refused service at Melbourne bar

Aboriginal singer refused service at Melbourne bar

By Rjurik Davidson

MELBOURNE — Staff at the Catani Bar in St Kilda on the night of March 4 refused entry to the lead singer of the Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi. Mandawuy Yunupingu said that he was told he was not served because he was "not appropriate" as a customer and that he and his manager, Alan James, were asked to leave. "It was a classic case of racism", and he was "deeply offended".

The duty manager claimed, "There is a big heroin and booze problem concerning Aborigines here in St Kilda. If these Aborigines saw one of their own kind in here, they would come in, booze, shoot up heroin and cause all sorts of trouble." The owner of the bar, by contrast, claimed the two couldn't be seated because they were not dining and numbers at the bar had reached the limits applied by our permit." The bar management has since apologised.

Premier Joan Kirner described the incident as "a disgraceful blot on our kind of principles in Australia". Trades Hall secretary John Halfpenny said, "It's an outrageous thing and I think the people should be put in jail".

On the following night a picket of 100 people was set up outside the bar.

Moira Rayner, the Victorian equal opportunity commissioner, says there has been a huge rise in the number of reported incidents of racial and sexual discrimination — 95% just this year.

From GLW issue 47