Karl Quinn October 22, 2010
FORMER ATSIC chairman Geoff Clark has been revealed as one of nine people suing Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt over alleged racial discrimination.
Mr Clark is listed in a statement of claim filed with the Federal Court in the case against Bolt and his employer, theHerald Sun, and its website.
The case is nominally being brought by activist Pat Eatock, 73, over two columns Bolt wrote last year.
In the first column, published under the headline ''It's so hip to be black'' in the paper in April, and on his blog under the headline ''White is the new black'', Bolt listed light or white-skinned people who identified themselves as Aboriginal, and suggested their choosing to do so was proof of ''a whole new fashion in academia, the arts and professional activism''
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IS ANDREW BOLT RACIST? HAVE YOUR SAY IN THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW
Mr Clark was one of those identified in Bolt's articles, as was Ms Eatock. The other applicants on the claim are artist Bindi Cole, lawyer/academic Larissa Behrendt, author Anita Heiss, health worker Leeanne Enoch, native title expert Graham Atkinson, political scientist and academic Wayne Atkinson and lawyer/academic Mark McMillan. All were identified in Bolt's articles.
Financial damages are not being sought, but the group has asked for an order restraining Bolt and the Herald Sun from publishing any material containing ''substantially similar'' content in the future, and for the removal of the two columns from the website.
The statement of claim sets out the Aboriginal heritage of each of the applicants, identifies them as having ''fairer rather than darker skin'', and asserts that each was ''reasonably likely to be offended, insulted, humiliated or intimidated'' by Bolt's writings.
Significantly, the claim extends to comments appended by Bolt to the articles in their online form. No claim has been made against any readers who commented on the blog.
The statement of claim asserts the articles were published ''because of the race, colour, and/or the ethnic origin'' of the claimants and were ''reasonably likely, in all the circumstances to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate''.
Mr Clark was chairman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission from 1999 to 2003. In 2003 he was suspended from that position while allegations of rape against him were investigated.
Police never proceeded with criminal charges, citing a lack of evidence. But in 2007 a civil jury awarded a woman $20,000 compensation over a pack-rape she claimed had been led by Mr Clark in 1971. He appealed against the award later that year, but lost.
The editor-in-chief of the Herald and Weekly Times, Phil Gardner, said last night: ''We take this claim very seriously. However, neither the Herald Sun nor Andrew believe that they have breached the Racial Discrimination Act or acted inappropriately at any time. The Herald Sun and Andrew will vigorously defend free speech and Andrew's right to express opinions.''
The case is listed for December 13.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/geoff-clark-among-aborigines-suing-bolt-20101021-16w27.html
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