‘Objectionable’: Magpies hit back in court at racism allegations…

The Collingwood Football Club has taken aim at its former head of First Nations strategy, declaring his allegations of racism against club chief executive Craig Kelly are “embarrassing” and “objectionable”.

The Magpies lodged their response in the Federal Circuit and Family Court on Friday, strongly defending Kelly after Mark Cleaver, the club’s former head of First Nations programs, accused him in court documents last month of making slurs and jokes about Indigenous culture during their time working together between February and when Cleaver’s employment was terminated in May this year.

The Magpies deny all 11 complaints lodged by Cleaver, including that there was unlawful discrimination and that he was bullied, and have called for the case to be struck out.

In court documents, Cleaver alleges the club breached several laws, including the discrimination acts involving equal opportunity, race and disability. He alleges he suffered “hurt, humiliation and distress” and “economic loss” after he was sacked.

Through lawyer Henry Skene, of Seyfarth Shaw Australia, the Magpies claim Cleaver’s statement “includes various allegations of fact and law which are objectionable, irrelevant, vague, embarrassing and liable to be struck out”.

The Magpies say Cleaver was sacked “solely because it was satisfied that he had engaged in misconduct”.

The Magpies say this misconduct included false allegations that Kelly had told him to “go throw a boomerang”.

In Cleaver’s lodged documents, he claims he was delivering a training program to the players and was asked by Kelly how it was connecting back to the club’s broader strategy.