The mother-of-two and wife of AFL star Lance “Buddy” Franklin, a proud Noongar man, has frequently used her platform to speak out about the inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. In a new Instagram story, Franklin shared that the couple had started watching Unheard, a six-part documentary on racial injustice in Australia on Amazon Prime. The 30-year-old quoted a police officer on screen, who allegedly told an Indigenous child in custody: “I’m right in the mood to f**king lose my job tonight and I don’t mind losing it over belting the f**k out of one of you little c**ts.” Deeming the series a “must watch”, Franklin said it showed that “the justice system in this country is broken”. “It will make you uncomfortable and break your heart, it may even open your eyes to the racism that people face in this country,” she wrote. “The first 2 episodes are based on Indigenous Australian’s (sic), it also covers stories from Muslim Women, asylum seekers and refugees and the last episode explores the story of two Australian’s of African descent. This is essential viewing.” The treatment of Indigenous Australians in custody has long been an issue that many have turned a blind eye to. Despite a royal commission handing down a report 30 years ago aimed at preventing Indigenous deaths in the justice system, 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have since died in custody, Australian Institute of Criminology figures showed in December. And while Indigenous adults make up around two per cent of the national population, they constitute close to 30 per cent of the national prison population. Late last year, Franklin wrote of “the disparity that exists in this country between missing children who are white and Indigenous children when it comes to the visibility and coverage of the case”, in the wake of the Cleo Smith saga. “I have read so many heartbreaking stories of missing Indigenous children that garner hardly any media coverage or the social media coverage that a case like Cleo’s did,” she said. “I have no doubt the widespread broadcasting of information in regards to the case assisted the phenomenal efforts of the WA police force in locating this beautiful little girl and reuniting her with her family.” Reports at the time suggested she had faced backlash to her post, and responding to the negativity, Franklin acknowledged that “confronting and often forgotten topics like this are important to continue to talk about”. “Thank you to everyone who engaged in meaningful conversations in regards to my post about the lack of equality in the visibility of cases of missing children,” she wrote. “I received an outpouring of messages about the lack of action and media attention for not only missing children, regardless of ethnicity, have an equal presence in the media and that articles to come, give voice to this disparity and injustice.” Franklin said “this doesn’t take away from anyone else’s story or pain” but “highlights how important it really is”. “This is not the first and won’t be the last time I speak up and shine a light on issues of equality and injustice,” she added. Speaking to Marie Claire in July last year, Franklin opened up about raising her part-Indigenous children, daughter Tullulah and son, Rocky. “I’ve never been judged for the colour of my skin, my culture, where I was born or who my parents are. It’s not my lived experience, but it is Buddy’s and his mum’s and sister’s,” she said, adding that she’ll take their lead when it comes to teaching her kids about Australia’s shameful history and the issues Indigenous people still face. “Obviously, I’m guided by Buddy, but I’ve also taken the initiative to educate myself so I can be the best mum to our First Nations babies and the best ally I can be. “I feel like I have a big responsibility to ensure my kids can connect to culture and can continue to share their history and be the storytellers for the next generation.”
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