Transcript

ELEANOR HALL: In Western Australia an Aboriginal girl has become the first person to be charged under the state's upgraded racial vilification laws.

The Western Australian Laws came into force last year after white supremacists carried out a spate of attacks in Perth.

But the test case for the laws involves the alleged vilification of a white teenager.

David Weber is in Kalgoorlie for the court case and joins us now.

So David, what is the background to this case?

DAVID WEBER: Well, the alleged victim, Melissa Blackney, she (inaudible), and was sitting in her car on a street in Kalgoorlie, apparently waiting outside a home for her mother to arrive, (inaudible) to the house.

And she was approached by this group - two girls, fourteen and fifteen-years-old, and an Aboriginal woman, aged 21 at the time - and one of them allegedly threw a rock at the car.

Ms Blackney was upset at this, and she says the group of Aboriginal girls got physical with her, and it was during this alleged attack that one of the girls called her "a white bitch" and "a white slut."

Ms Blackney says the alleged attack was unprovoked.

ELEANOR HALL: So do we know what Ms Blackney thinks about the racial vilification charge?

DAVID WEBER: Well, she said she didn't ask for the racial vilification charge to be laid, but she believes it's appropriate. She said she didn't use any racist terms at the time, and she's been quoted as saying, "I don't know why they started this racist crap."

ELEANOR HALL: And what's the feeling in the town about the trial?

DAVID WEBER: Well, the feeling in the town is that perhaps this shouldn't have gone so far. It's a pretty heavy charge that has come into play, and local leaders believe it shouldn't have gone this far because they're afraid it will further taint the town.

It was only a few years ago, when the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission decided to send a delegation to Kalgoorlie to investigate claims of widespread racial discrimination, and suggestions that community leaders were going out of their way to alienate Aboriginal people.

And this gave rise to a suggestion that Kalgoorlie was the most racist town in Australia. It would be pretty hard to quantify that, and it would be fair to say the locals are very upset at this label.

There is division in the town, to a certain extent, because Ms Blackney would have her supporters. But as I say, they would like... they would have preferred if it hadn't gone this far.

ELEANOR HALL: David Weber in Kalgoorlie, thank you.