The statue of former AFL player Nicky Winmar, which captured his iconic response to racial abuse during a 1993 match, was removed from outside Optus Stadium in Perth just two days after he was found guilty of domestic violence charges in a Victorian court. The decision has ignited a debate about whether the monument should have been taken down or preserved as a symbol against racism.
Statue Removed After Guilty Verdict
The 60-year-old Winmar, a Noongar man who played 251 games for St Kilda from 1987 to 1999, was found guilty at Bendigo Magistrates Court this month of two counts of common assault and one count of unlawful assault. He was acquitted on a fourth charge of intentionally causing injury. The charges stemmed from an incident in May 2025 in Cohuna, northern Victoria, where Winmar assaulted a woman he was in a relationship with. The court heard he grabbed her arm, twisted it, dragged her by the hair, pushed her against a wall, and bashed her head repeatedly into a wooden door. A pre-sentencing hearing is scheduled for August.
Western Australia Premier Roger Cook ordered the statue's immediate removal, stating that violence against women is never acceptable and that it was important to send a strong message to the community. The WA government said it was "no longer appropriate for that statue to be displayed" and that it would be stored by VenuesWest until a decision is made on its future.
Debate Over Symbolism and Consultation
The removal has drawn mixed reactions. Jill Gallagher, a Gunditjmara woman and CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, who is also a domestic violence survivor, said the statue represents more than just Winmar. "The Nicky Winmar statue is more than a statue of a footballer, it’s a statue against racism," she said. Gallagher argued there should have been more consultation before the removal, noting that Winmar's gesture in 1993 "raised and elevated Aboriginal voices, and it still does elevate our voices."
Muriel Bamblett, a Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, and Boon Wurrung elder and director of Our Ways Strong Together, said there is "no condoning" the violence but there should have been "greater community conversation" before removal. She highlighted the importance of Winmar's stand against racial violence.
However, Professor Marcia Langton, a Yiman and Bidjara woman from the University of Melbourne, supported the removal, saying it would have been "highly offensive to women, to AFL fans and the wider AFL community" if the statue had remained. "His conviction for an assault against a woman requires that he is not celebrated in public in this way," Langton said.
AFL Reviewing Hall of Fame Status
The AFL confirmed it is reviewing Winmar's status as a member of the league's Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2022. However, the AFL did not respond when asked if it had also reviewed the status of Wayne Carey, another Hall of Fame player who pleaded guilty to indecent assault in 1996.
Historical Context and Comparisons
The statue was unveiled in July 2022 by then-Premier Mark McGowan, who said Winmar's "powerful message" against racism "still resonates today." The gesture in 1993 forced the AFL to establish its first official code of conduct. AFL historian Matthew Klugman, who co-wrote a biography of Winmar, called the removal a missed opportunity for "truth-telling" and accused the WA government of inconsistency, comparing it to the continued presence of statues of colonial figures like James Stirling, who led the 1834 Pinjarra massacre of up to 80 Noongar people. Langton distinguished the cases, saying Australia must come to terms with colonial history but that this is a different issue.
