Booing Adam Goodes is unAustralian and must end: Scullion

James Packer says he’s “ashamed as an Australian” of the taunts suffered by AFL star Adam Goodes.

Swans v Carlton

James Packer says he’s “ashamed as an Australian” of the taunts suffered by AFL star Adam Goodes.

Bill Shorten has also blasted “extreme” elements in politics and the media for collaborating with racism, as he argued the “stupid, ignorant” treatment of the indigenous Sydney Swans footballer has been aided by a broader “idiot factor”.

Mr Packer made his comments while speaking in Melbourne in support of Crown Resort’s Indiegnous employments program, during which he also called on Australia to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in its constitution.

As he left the event, the Crown chairman said of Goodes: He’s a great Australian. He won Australian of the Year, I think he’s an amazing role model.

“To hear people booing him is something that I’m ashamed of as an Australian.”

Meanwhile, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has warned escalating tensions could spark a riot when Goodes returns to play for the Swans.

After a Swans supporter claimed fans would sneak eggs into the venue of Goodes' first game back and throw them at booing fans, Mr McGuire wanred: “That’ll cause a riot.”

He told Triple M: “Once it’s gone too far, once it’s got to a situation where a person is affected by it, well then you go, ‘Hang on, what’s the upside of booing Adam Goodes other than driving the bloke out of the game and now making it hugely uncomfortable for everyone else around there?’”

As Tony Abbott broke his silence on the issue by calling for “basic respect” for Goodes, the Opposition Leader criticised the Prime Minister for failing to be “loud and proud” in his support..

Leader of the pack

Mr Shorten today insisted the incessant booing of Goodes was motivated by a core of racists, aided by other “idiots” who “would yell out anything if someone else was doing it”.

“There’s always an idiot factor in a crowd sometimes when the booing’s going on, but at its core there some Australians who don’t like Adam Goodes because he’s an indigenous athlete,” Mr Shorten said.

Mr Shorten said Mr Abbott should have led “from the centre of Australian opinion” and been early to condemn the booing of Goodes.

“I know there are people on the extremes of politics and sometimes even in the media who say that standing up against racism is some form of political correctness. To my way of thinking, people who attack standing up against racism are inadvertently or accidentally collaborating with the negative attitudes in our community,” he said.

“This country should be governed and run from the centre of Australian opinion. We don’t need any far right wing or far left wing experiments trying to impose their views on the rest of us. Common sense should be the order of the day.”

Mr Abbott, who this week declined to weigh into the controversy, said the allegations of racism were a “pretty hot issue” that has been “very controversial for lots of people”.

“I can understand why he is upset because no one should be subject to taunts; they particularly shouldn’t be subject to racial taunts,” Mr Abbott told Sydney radio station 2SM.

“Yes we’re a robust people and I guess politicians typically get booed at the footy but Adam Goodes is a good bloke and he is a great player and I hope he will be treated with civility and dignity.

“There should be a basic respect given to all sports people and certainly the last thing we want in Australia is anything, anything at all that smacks of racism.”

Mr Shorten said Goodes was the latest in a long line of indigenous athletes have been forced to stand up and publicly assert their right not to be abused.

“When you hear people yelling out abuse, having a crack at Adam Goodes because he’s indigenous, just shut up. Don’t say anything. Keep your thoughts to yourself. You’re not setting a good example for the kids,” he said.

“I want sporting events to be events with families where we can bring all the kids. We don’t need the idiot element cheapening our country and making life harder for families to be able to go to football.”

Liberal MP and tennis great John Alexander said he was “at a loss” and could not understand what was happening to Goodes.

He sent the footballer and former Australian of the Year a clear message: “All I can say to Adam is, you’re not hearing the cheers and the cheers should drown out the boos.

“His greatness as a footballer is nothing, is totally insignificant compared to his greatness as a man and we should recognise that,” Mr Alexander said on Sky News.

“For this to be happening here, I just am at a loss to understand it.

“You can’t do anything about the idiot who’s going to boo it but I think the positive should outweigh the negative and I think there should be a greater effort for those who attend the game to cheer him.”

Treat Goodes with civility, respect: PM

Tony Abbott has made his first public comments on the taunts plaguing indigenous footballer Adam Goodes after a week of swirling controversy, describing it as a “pretty hot issue”.

Speaking on Sydney radio, the Prime Minister declared that “the last thing we want in Australia is anything at all that smacks of racism”.

“I know that it’s been, I guess, very controversial for lots of people,” Mr Abbott said on 2SM.

“I can understand why he’s upset because no one should be subject to taunts, they particularly shouldn’t be subject to racial taunts. Yes we’re a robust people and I guess politicians typically get booed at the footy.

“But Adam Goodes is a good bloke and he’s a great player and I hope he’ll be treated with respect and civility.”

Mr Abbott said all sportspeople deserved a “basic respect” from Australians.

“You don’t have to agree with everything that Adam says. You don’t have to, I suppose, like his footy team,” Mr Abbott said.

“But nevertheless I think there should be a basic respect given to all sportspeople and certainly the last thing we want in Australia is anything at all that smacks of racism.”

Yesterday federal Indigenous Minister Nigel Scullion urged the AFL to act decisively to end the crowd vilification and bullying of Goodes, as footballers and clubs across Australia plan demonstrations of support for the Aboriginal star.

Senator Scullion said he was saddened and worried by the abuse being heaped upon Goodes, whom he described as a “great Australian’’ prepared to call out racism.

Although countless footballers have attracted the ire of opposition supporters, Senator Scullion said the treatment of Goodes was unique.

“We haven’t had this level of vilification,’’ Senator Scullion told The Australian. “This is vilification of a footy player, complete vilification of a footy player and, frankly, I don’t understand what he has done.

“This is bullying at such a level. People use the word unAustralian too often but I can’t think of a better way to describe the behaviour of the crowd.

“There is definitely an element of bigotry and racism there and people should take a long look at themselves. This needs to be dealt with quickly. This is not just about Goodesey.”

With Goodes too distraught to sleep and prepare properly for Sydney’s next game, rival clubs have each held talks about how best to make a statement of support in his absence.

EDITORIAL: Cheer, cheer the black and the white

PATRICK SMITH: Bigots’ excuses are cowardly

The Western Bulldogs, like Richmond, will wear the Dreamtime-inspired jumpers they used in the AFL’s indigenous round in May. Hawthorn and Fremantle players will broadcast video messages to their fans at the start of the game. Other clubs are still ­deciding how best to respond.

Goodes’s brother Brett plays for the Western Bulldogs, which this year launched a campaign to stamp out crowd abuse.

Club president Peter Gordon said his club, which represents one of the most ethnically ­diverse areas of Melbourne, had reached a tipping point.

“Whether they are doing it out of a racist disposition or simply doing it to be part of an anonymous mob mentality that is taking the opportunity to ­belittle someone and hurt them is of secondary importance,’’ he said.

“It is just cowardly, cheap, abusive behaviour and it has got to stop. We are going to stand up for proper values in the AFL.’’

The AFL has responded cautiously to the abuse of Goodes, which has steadily grown in volume since he celebrated a goal with a spear-throwing dance two months ago.

It has preferred clubs to take the lead, believing that football fans will respond better to messages delivered by their own clubs and players than by AFL House.

AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, has not publicly commented since the Goodes-baiting began.

Senator Scullion believes stronger action is required. “This is a really serious matter for the character of Australia,’’ he said.

Across Australia’s party political divide, there is uniform support for Goodes. NSW Liberal Premier Mike Baird, who believes the heckling of Goodes is clearly malicious, followed his Victorian Labor counterpart, Daniel Andrews, in condemning the crowd’s treatment of the two-time Brownlow medallist.

“Whichever team we support, surely we can all agree that risking the premature ending of the career of one of AFL’s great players is totally unacceptable,” Mr Baird said.

Greens leader Richard Di ­Natale is collecting signatures on an online petition lambasting the treatment of Goodes by football supporters and some media commentators.

Influential media commentators Miranda Divine, Alan Jones and Andrew Bolt have all blamed Goodes for the abuse he is receiving.

Retired cricketer Shane Warne yesterday denied the heckling had anything to do with race.

“This whole Adam Goodes drama is ridiculous,’’ the Nine Network personality tweeted. “The public can boo or chant whoever’s name they want. It is nothing to do with being racist.’’

ANALYSIS: Rewriting history on ‘ape’ call

Chip Le Grand

The history wars are back with us. This time, the chosen battle ground is the MCG on a Friday night two years ago when a young girl called Adam Goodes an ape.

Goodes’s actions that night, we are now being told, is why he is to blame for ugly abuse being hurled his way by opposition supporters. If only Goodes would apologise to the girl, the argument goes, then the crowds and the game and one of the great indigenous champions could all move on.

What tosh.

This is what happened that night.