Neighbours: Independent review launched over racism claims on set

TV drama Neighbours will be subject to an independent review after fresh claims emerged of racism, sexism and misogyny on set.

Television drama Neighbours will have an independent review conducted into its production process after fresh claims emerged this week of racism, sexism and misogyny on set.

Fremantle Australia, the company which produces the program for Network 10, said they were taking immediate action after numerous complaints were made by actors who worked on the program.

This included Shareena Clanton, 32, from Melbourne, who told The Australian unacceptable behaviour was “rife” on the program.

“There’s a beast of racism, white supremacy and toxic behaviour and sexism and misogyny that really needs to be shifted and changed,” she said.

In Fremantle’s statement it said they are “committed to providing an environment where employees and others in the workplace are treated fairly and with respect and are free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and bullying”.

“We do not tolerate behaviour that does not align to our Anti-Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Harassment and Bullying Policy and take all complaints very seriously, investigating all allegations fairly and thoroughly.”

They have engaged with an indigenous led creative consultancy firm Campfire X, creative leaders in indigenous cultural protocols and an independent review of issues involving production of the show.

In an Instagram post earlier this week Clanton said one actor had called a colleague a “lil monkey” and staff would repeatedly use racist language.

“Overt and covert levels of ­racism were rife, often disguised as ‘jokes’, like a while actress openly calling another actor of colour a ‘lil monkey’,” she wrote.

“The retaliation for calling out this misconduct and racism often left me ostracised and further marginalised.”

Actor Saskia Hampele who played Georgia Brooks from 2012 to 2015 and has made guest appearances since departing the show, also commented on Clanton’s post and said she witnessed sexism. 

“Whilst I never encountered racism on the show (but am in no way surprised that it existed) I certainly experienced and witnessed a lot of sexism and power structures that protected bullies and bigots instead of calling out and reprimanding abhorrent behaviour,” she wrote.

“I so deeply respect you for speaking up.”

Clanton’s racism claims were also backed up by another indigenous actor, Meyne Wyatt, who said he witnessed racism on the set when he was a regular guest between 2014 and 2016.

“It involved the C word and I called it out and it didn’t happen around me again,” he said.

“And it is disappointing but not at all surprising to hear that five years later racism continues to be present in that workplace.”

Both claims for the two actors also follow on from actor Sharon Johl, who played Dipi Rebecchi for four years and told in February of fans of the show yelling racist insults to her on the street.

She wrote: “I came to understand that I couldn’t escape ­racism, not even on Australia’s most famous street.”