Since the tragic passing of Dolly Everett, Australia has stepped up the fight against bullying in Australia with the Do it for Dolly campaign.
At the heart of this campaign is online bullying. This is the same medium used by the bullies responsible for Dolly Everett’s death. Just a week after her passing we saw national headlines when a friend of Dolly’s revealed she had been targeted by online bullies a short time after Dolly took her own life.
All of these events have been happening in the lead up to Australia Day. This year, we have seen the issue of Australia Day being talked about more than ever before right across Australia. A lot of the conversation is happening online on social media.
Most Indigenous leaders are calling for respectful discussions to be had on the issue. However the majority of the debate has turned into scenes more reminiscent of school yard bullying. If you take a look at any online Aboriginal forums right now, you will see countless examples of online bullying and hatred that is being directed towards Aboriginal people.
These comments and messages are coming from everyday non-Indigenous Australians who are outraged when they see this debate happening in the media. There have been death threats and countless amounts of racial slurs being posted publicly and privately on Social media. With all the talk right now about online bullying, there is a strange silence about the hatred being directed towards Aboriginal people.
Isn’t anyone concerned about the damage this is doing to the most disadvantaged group of people living in Australia?