The Rugby League Players’ Association will continue to support a strong response to the unacceptable incident that occurred during the Penrith and South Sydney NRL match at BlueBet Stadium on Thursday night.
Rugby league is one of the most diverse codes in Australian sport. It is a game that brings cultures together.
While severe bans and punitive measures are important actions to take in response, there are also other solutions to help eradicate racism from sport and our country. The RLPA is supportive of a rehabilitative and educational response where people who say racist remarks or perpetuate racist behaviours are encouraged to learn about Australia’s history, different cultures and the potential impact of their actions.
The best approach to driving a sustained change in behaviour requires all stakeholders to work together to develop and implement a policy and stand firm.
Racism will not be solved by only forcing people to stop being racist. We must take a zero-tolerence approach to incidents of racism, but we will only solve racism when we create a culture where people do not think about saying offensive remarks.
Racism ends when it stops entering people’s minds.
