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Racism. It Stops With Me

  • Thursday, August 23 2012 @ 11:35 pm ACST
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Australia

MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

 

The AFL today joined the Human Rights Commission and the Australian Government in endorsing a new national anti-racism strategy - Racism. It Stops With Me.

 

Represented by North Melbourne players Andrew Swallow and Majak Daw, the AFL is one of a number of organisations across business, sport and Government who are supporting the campaign on the basis of their long-standing work on combating racism.

 

The players joined Federal Human Rights Commissioner Dr Helen Szoke, Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Sport, Senator Kate Lundy and other business and community leaders in Federation Square, Melbourne  as the AFL officially signed up to the campaign.  

 

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said the AFL was proud to play a continuing role in promoting racial tolerance and inclusion in sport and more broadly.

 

"The AFL has long-held values that encourage racial acceptance and these have been formalised by the Human Rights Commission in its Anti-Racism Strategy,” Mr Demetriou said.

 

“Australian football is a game for everyone with no place for racism. This has been evident through our work in pioneering racial and religious vilifications rules and programs such as our multicultural schools program which engages more than 30,000 children from multicultural backgrounds every year in Australia's game.

 

"I commend Dr Helen Szoke for her work and all organisations that have signed up to the strategy. The AFL is proud to say that Racism stops with us."

 

North Melbourne captain Andrew Swallow and Sudanese-born Majak Daw are both Ambassadors for The Huddle program, North Melbourne's community engagement facility designed to achieve social cohesion outcomes in the local multicultural community. 

 

Daw is also one of 10 AFL multicultural ambassadors, working with Australia Post and the AFL in multicultural communities across Australia using football and their own role model status as an engagement tool for community benefit.