Self-described comedian sacked after outrage at video about Indigenous people

A Melbourne-based content creator has been sacked after a video in which she depicted a white person claiming Indigenous heritage and sniffing petrol sparked outrage online.

Lisa Jane Spencer said she was dismissed from Peninsula Hot Springs on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula on Wednesday after she posted a 36-second video to various social media accounts “satirising” an episode of the SBS program Insight, including its logo.

The video sparked a backlash online, including from a number of Indigenous people such as Brooke Blurton, who featured in the Bachelorette reality TV series.

Spencer alleged that those who shared the video with her employer had “illegally doxxed my workplace online and shared it publicly”.

“They fired me on the spot yesterday morning with no notice – less than 24 hours after I posted the video,” Spencer said in a statement to this masthead.

“People should not be fired from their work for their political views and comedy. I will be seeking legal advice.”

Spencer starts the video wearing a faux-fur jacket while holding a bowl with burning eucalyptus leaves, referencing the Indigenous practice of a smoking ceremony. She also wears white paint on her face, and a badge featuring the Aboriginal flag and the slogan “Always was, Always will be”.

“I’m Aunty Lisa,” Spencer says in the video. “I started identifying as a black fella a few months ago.”

“I am Aboriginal, yes,” she said while ticking a fake government form. “I finally feel at peace with who I am, one of the mob.”

Towards the end of the video, Spencer mocks a traditional clap stick dance and says, “Aboriginal identity transcends skin colour. I am Aboriginal, end of story,” before placing a petrol can in front of her nose.

Blurton, the first Indigenous Bachelorette in the reality TV series, was getting coffee on Wednesday morning when she received multiple messages from members of her community telling her to watch Spencer’s video.

Blurton told this masthead that she was disappointed but “unfortunately, not surprised” when she saw Spencer’s video. So she decided to press record.

“I really hate that I have to make this video, but I cannot sit back and just let this happen,” Blurton said in the recording she posted to social media in response to Spencer’s video.

“I’m so sick of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being the brunt of the joke because it’s not funny. You can argue that this is comedy, and it’s satire, and it’s funny, but it’s actually not … let’s be clear, it’s not humour, it’s a racist stereotype.

“What in the world makes you think that this is fu