Outcry after Scott Morrison says ‘there was no slavery in Australia’ amid Black Lives Matter protests

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The Australian prime minister has sparked outrage after claming there was no slavery in the country amid global protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Scott Morrison said even though it was “a pretty brutal settlement” when it was established, there was no slavery in Australia during a discussion of the early days of British settlement.

Historians, Aboriginal activists and some politicians have expressed shock and dismay at the comments.

“Slavery of indigenous, men, women and children is well-documented,” said Sharman Stone, a former politician and now politics professor at Monash University.

“Slaves worked in pearling, fishing, the pastoral industries and as domestic labour.”

Former MP Emma Husar tweeted: "If the PM doesn’t know that slavery existed in Australia surely it’s time to update the curriculum."

Mr Morrison made the comments when asked on Australian radio about statues linked to slavery being toppled or reviewed amid global anti-racism protests.

Speaking about calls to remove a statue of Captain Cook – who claimed Australia as a British territory in the 18th century – in the UK, the PM said the explorer was “in his time one of the most enlightened persons on these issues as you can imagine”.

He told 2GB radio station: “Australia, when it was founded as a settlement, was on the basis there would be no slavery.

“While slave ships continued to travel around the world when Australia was established, sure it was still a pretty brutal establishment … but there was no slavery in Australia.”

Mr Morrison claimed some of the protests have been taken over by a "much more politically-driven left-wing agendas" after starting on a "fair point when they are raising issues about people's treatment in custody" for example.

He added: "I’ve always said we have got to be honest about our history ... but we also have to respect our history as well. This is not a licence for people to go nuts on this stuff."

Protests against racism and police brutality have erupted over the world after the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed when a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

The Black Lives Matter movement has refocused attention in Australia on the mistreatment of indigenous Australians, including Aboriginal deaths in custody.

Victoria state officials said one of eight new cases of Covid-19 reported on Thursday was a man who attended the Melbourne weekend rally.

He developed symptoms after going to the protest but is thought to have caught it beforehand, Brett Sutton, the state's chief health officer, told a press conference.

Australian officials warned supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement on Thursday they could be fined or arrested if they breach coronavirus restrictions to take part in public protests.

Mr Morrison said weekend rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and other cities that drew tens of thousands of people had already delayed plans to further ease social distancing restrictions.

More protests are planned for Friday.

Additional reporting by Reuters