Comedian condemned for 'deeply offensive' joke about alleged murder

A state commissioner labelled it a cruel and racist attempt to exploit the alleged murder for "cheap laughs".

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains the image of a person who is deceased.

A comedian has been widely condemned and dumped by his local Aussie rules club for a "deeply offensive" social media video about the alleged murder of five-year-old Northern Territory girl Kumanjayi Little Baby.

South Australia Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People Dale Agius labelled Alex "Shooter" Williamson's social media post, which has since been deleted, as a cruel and racist attempt to exploit the alleged murder for "cheap laughs".

The Willunga Football Club, which is based in the town of the same name about 40 kilometres south of Adelaide, suspended the comedian over the comments, which can't be repeated for legal reasons, before deregistering him.

READ MORE: Accused outback child killer to stay behind bars

"We want to be clear: the comments made are completely unacceptable and do not reflect the values of our club," the club said on social media and on its website.

"We acknowledge the hurt and distress this has caused, particularly to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the broader community."

Agius praised the club's condemnation, highlighting the important role sporting clubs play in regional communities, and called on people to respect the call by senior Warlpiri elder Robin Japanangka Granites - the girl's grandfather - for this to be a time of Sorry Business.

"What Mr Williamson posted was not comedy. It was not humour. It was not in service of any worthy cause," Agius said in a statement issued tonight.

"It was cruelty dressed up as a joke, wielded against a community already grieving. 

" ... to roleplay a conversation with the man charged with her murder, is not a punchline. It is racism dressed up as comedy. 

"It tells Aboriginal children and their families that their lives, their deaths, and their grief are sport for others entertainment."

The proud Kaurna, Narungga, Ngadjuri and Ngarrindjeri man said the comments had no place in the public domain at any time and were "unconscionable" in the current context.

"I stand absolutely firm: there is no context, no comedic framing, no claim of 'just having a laugh' that makes this in any way acceptable," he said.

Both the club and Agius described the comments as "deeply offensive".

The SANFL backed the club, saying Williamson wasn't someone it wanted in the league.

Agius called for the broader political, legislative and systemic context of the five-year-old's death to be fully examined at the appropriate time.

"The death of Kumanjayi Little Baby did not occur in isolation," he said. 

"Her family lived with the realities faced by too many families in remote and regional Australia: overcrowded housing, limited services, and the daily pressures of deep poverty and disadvantage."

Indigenous advocate Karen Beasley said Williamson should apologise to the family.

"The way I look at it, nobody in their right mind would have made that joke," she said.

" … there was just no remorse how he giggled towards the end and thought it was just so funny.

Williamson hasn't commented on the controversy beyond reposting an article about the club dumping him.

"BAHAHAHAHA this headline is a proper spinout," he said on Instagram Stories.

"Closest I'll feel to playing AFL."

He didn't respond when 9News went today to his parents' house, where he's been living.

Jefferson Lewis, 47, has been accused of murdering the  five‑year‑old girl near the outback town of Alice Springs. 

He was expected to appear in Alice Springs Local Court on Tuesday via video link from custody in Darwin but his appearance was excused. No application for bail was made, and the case was adjourned to July 30. 

The alleged killing horrified the tight‑knit community, which spent anxious days scouring creek beds and scrub for the missing girl before her body was found in bushland outside the town five days after she disappeared.

Kumanjayi – the name used in line with cultural tradition after her death – vanished from a home in a town camp, triggering a massive land and air search across central Australia.

Lewis was arrested at another Alice Springs town camp after being beaten unconscious by locals.

Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy told ABC's 7.30 it was important to remember Kumanjayi was very loved by her family, who were in deep mourning and did not want her death to be turned into a political fight.

She also backed National Children's Commissioner Sue‑Anne Hunter, who said children cannot be safe in overcrowded or rundown houses and that governments still had "a hell of a lot of work" to do to keep Aboriginal children safe.

Candlelight vigils for Kumanjayi are planned for Thursday and mourners have been asked to wear pink, her favourite colour, as the community comes together to grieve and remember her short life.

- Reported with AAP

For 24/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).

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