KMB...
I guess you are referring to the Israeli Defence Forces actions in Gaza

maracas1,
Off-topic. Use your gourd!

Cornflower,

This journal is an Australian one. It originates in Australia and its main readership is Australian. In the unlikely and compledtely incomprehensible event that I would have been referring to...oh I dunno...Malaysia, China, Katmandu ...I would have made that clear.

I was working on the not unreasonable assumption that Australian readers perusing an Australian publication would be able to work out where the word 'here' referred to.

Your point that the event took place seven years ago however, is taken

I agree that "there's no such thing as being just a little bit racist". But it's unfortunate that the article is written without reference to the case reports.

Dickie v Department of Education and Early Childhood Development & Anor (Anti-Discrimination) [2008] VCAT 2222 (22 October 2008)
http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/vic/VCAT/2009/713.html

Dickie v State of Victoria & Ors (Anti-Discrimination) [2009] VCAT 713 (23 April 2009), http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/vic/VCAT/2009/713.html

For example, on this basis, I don't think it is quite accurate to say, "The case was thrown out however, with the VCAT ruling essentially saying that Ms Dickie had misinterpreted statements made by her supervising teacher, Fran Van Laambert. Ms Dickie had found language used by Ms Van Laambert offensive, but the Tribunal ruled that as there had not been intent to offend, there was no case to answer to." As I read the reports, the Tribunal dismissed the complaint because Ms Dickie had not established that the behaviour complained of (only one part of which was the Marcia Hines remark) was done on the basis of race and she had not established that it came within the definition of unlawful discrimination. Even if the behaviour were unfair in some sense, that would not mean it was automatically discriminatory.

I don't think that this case is the best one to support an otherwise good point.

Helen

KMB: << maracas1,
Off-topic. Use your gourd! >>

Any guesses as to the identity of our troll sockpuppetmaster?

I don't understand why Ms Dickie wasn't able to communicate her sense of discrimination,it's not clear how she indicated that she was offended,there are some important details missing from the article.Why should the Tribunal consider implications of the term "Negro" in South Africa, we are in Australia,let's keep some perspective, however, if I were told a term was offensive I wouldn't use it. The use of a sexual assault equivalence argument by the author is specious indeed. I've decided in the interests of racial harmony that if I'm called a "white devil,white ghost, convict" or shudder,"skip",or served last after Asians in a restaurant, I'll be off to the Tribunal with a school of lawyers.