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20:45, 13-Jun-2018
Australian city’s tourism ad sparks 'whitewash' controversy
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An Australian city has removed a tourism advertisement after it was accused of a "whitewash" of indigenous people and ethnic minorities.
The tourism ad shows famous spots and local people’s lifestyle in the city of Rockhampton, Queensland. It was published on Monday and remained online for several hours.
/Screenshot from Twitter
/Screenshot from Twitter
However, the ad was criticized by indigenous Australians that it displayed only white people rather than diverse ethnic groups.
Netizens reacted with strong dissatisfaction, forcing the city council to remove the video and apologize.
"We apologize and we will do better," Rockhampton Regional Council responded to netizens’ comments that "we should not be promoting the Rockhampton Region without celebrating the Darumbal people (local indigenous), the area's long history, and our diverse community,” according to BBC.
/Screenshot from Twitter
/Screenshot from Twitter
Rockhampton is one of the oldest cities in Queensland, northern Australia and about 600km from north of Brisbane.
The estimated urban population of the city is about 80,000. The indigenous people account for at least 7 percent of the population.
The city has large Vietnamese, Indian and Filipino communities. The tourism ad ignored the authentic communities as well as indigenous culture and history.
The ad had been part of efforts to bring "Rockhampton to the rest of the country and indeed the world", the city's mayor said on Monday, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Tony Williams, a city councilor, said it had been an oversight. "As far as tourism goes, our indigenous culture is really prominent and we need to focus on that and include that as a priority," he told local newspaper The Morning Bulletin.