Nova Peris: ‘I’m saddened to see our sacred flag misappropriated by anti-Israel groups’

The record books show that Nova Peris won gold for hockey at the 1996 Olympic Games, when the Hockeyroos defeated South Korea 3-1, followed by gold medals at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur for the 200m sprint and 4 x 100m relay. This made her the only athlete in the world to win Olympic and Commonwealth gold in different sports.

In recent times, however, Peris has focused her considerable profile on a different issue. Here she is on a podcast:

“As an Aboriginal woman, I’m one of four generations that lived under Australia’s greatest lie of Terra Nullius. The Jewish community was instrumental in overturning that lie. I want to reciprocate by helping overturn a similar lie which is being told against the Jewish people - that they have no connection to the Land of Israel and are settler-colonialists.” 

Another podcast: “We’ve heard a lot in our national discourse about truth-telling, mostly in the context of my people. How can we allow people to shout `F--- the Jews’ whilst burning flags on the steps of the Sydney Opera House? How can we not call this out and stamp this out? This behaviour is un-Australian.”

And this: “The Jewish community has played a leading role in establishing the rights of indigenous Australians. Lawyers such as Ron Castan, Jeff Sher and others were at the forefront of winning some of the most significant cases. As proud Jews, they understood what it was like for a people to have an internal connection to a land.

“The Jewish people have been the most committed friends and allies of my people. I absolutely refuse to stand by and let anyone deny these truths.”