Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy said she was told she was too difficult before being removed from giving a Welcome to Country at Barack Obama’s Melbourne talk.
Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy says she was dumped from giving a Welcome to Country at former US president Barack Obama’s Melbourne show by tour organisers and told she was too difficult.
The Indigenous group said Murphy was thrilled to agree to give a Welcome to Country at John Cain Arena, but asked for a support person to come with her and requested to present a gift to Obama, as is cultural practice. Murphy said in a statement she was shocked at and distressed by the way she had been treated by event organisers.“I am 78 years of age. I have never been treated or spoken to in this way in the past,” she said.
Obama is in Australia for a whirlwind speaking tour with shows in Melbourne and Sydney alongside former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop. The 44th president warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence and polarised media, and took a swipe at News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch in aCredit:Murphy has regularly given the Welcome to Country at major events in Melbourne, welcoming both Nelson Mandela and the Queen to Wurundjeri land.
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