Hobart councillor doubles down on statue removal comments despite ‘racism’ accusation - Sky News Australia

A Hobart City Councillor has doubled down on her criticism of a push to remove a 19th Century statue of former Tasmanian premier William Crowther.

Councillor Louise Elliot was accused of making “racist” and “offensive” remarks by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre after she took to Facebook to criticise the push to remove the former premier’s statue.

However Ms Elliot defended her remarks when speaking to Sky News Australia’s Andrew Bolt on Wednesday night.

“On Facebook I shared my opinion around removing the Dr Crowther statute was a case of selective outrage,” Ms Elliot said.

“I also spoke on Facebook about if the rationale for the removal of the statue is that it is symbolic of harms to Aboriginal people then we also have hospitals, antibiotics, construction, agriculture, clothing, written language – these are all things that colonisation has brought to Australia, so I just pointed out my opinion that it’s pick and mix in what causes offence.”

The Franklin Square statue at the centre of the controversy was erected in 1889 in recognition of the former politician and surgeon’s service to the community.

Indigenous campaigners are seeking the statue’s removal because of Dr Crowther’s role in stealing the skull of Indigenous man William Lanne, which was sent to the Royal College of Surgeons in London in 1869.

However Councillor Elliott told Andrew Bolt that the former Tasmanian premier was adored by the community and the removal of his statue would set a “dangerous precedent.”

“Dr Crowther was loved by the whole Tasmanian community, not just Hobart, he was loved because he provided medical care for free regardless of who they were or class,” Ms Elliot said.

“There’s a big dangerous precedent being set, and whilst historians have different opinions around how they’re interpreting the evidence, there is no black and white evidence that Dr Crowther took the skull of William Lanne.

“(But) historians agree… the taking of Aboriginal bones was normalised behaviour.

“We have several monuments, buildings, place names, street names associated with people who back in the 1800s were involved with the collection of Aboriginal bones”.

“In Franklin Square – where the Crowther currently sits – is a statue of John Franklin and his wife Jane Franklin, they were big Aboriginal bone collectors.

“So what really gets to me is the injustice to Dr Crowther himself and his descendants, but also the precedent because I’m sure once the dust settles on the Crowther statue coming down we’ll see more applications for removals of our heritage.”

Last Friday Ms Elliot said on Facebook that removing the statue would put “pretty much EVERYTHING that colonisation brought on the chopping block.” 

 “Surely people wouldn’t be so hypocritical as to take a statue but leave the hospitals, antibiotics, schools, clothing, agriculture, manufacturing, construction, written language, law..... and more that white man’s arrival brought to Tasmania?

“[Some people are] determined to try and induce guilt and shame, all while toddling around with (likely fake) designer handbags and soaking up all that today’s world has to offer.”

The comments led to Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre campaign manager Nala Mansell to call for Ms Elliot to be “stood down as an elected leader”.

"She’s gone so far as to deny Aboriginal people the right to access healthcare and education, as a result of speaking out about Aboriginal issues,” Ms Mansell said.

“Healthcare in this state is there to fix the disease that were brought here by colonisation.”

Ms Mansell said the comments were “downright racist”.

“I’m shocked an elected leader would make such openly racist statements,” she said.

“It’s one thing for an elected leader to express an opinion about statue removal, when she’s suggesting the invasion of our lands are something we should be grateful for, that’s when the line’s crossed.”

“We would ask her personal attacks and racist comments be looked into and she be stood down as an elected leader.”

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2023-08-23 19:46:34Z
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