‘Comedian’ Lisa Jane Spencer has deleted and re-uploaded her deeply offensive skit about Aboriginal people after confirming she was fired from her workplace over the video.
Spencer has been at the centre of controversy this week after sharing a ‘comedic’ clip in the style of SBS’ Insight in which she joked about “transitioning” into an Aboriginal woman.
SBS flagged the clip over its use of the Insight logo as a watermark in Spencer’s video, which led to it being removed from her Instagram profile for copyright infringement.
Now, Spencer has reshared the original clip with an altered watermark that reads: “Special Woke Service”.
Explaining the change on her Instagram Stories, Spencer said people “bullied [SBS’ Insight] into sending a report to take [the video] down under ‘copyright infringement’ using their logo (which was a part of the parody)”.
“It should be protected under parody,” Spencer added, before citing a section of Australian copyright law around what constitutes “fair dealing for the purposes of satire”.
“Should I re-uploaded with an altered logo?” she wrote.
Spencer claimed that her video was based on an episode of Insight about Roxanne Tickle, a transgender woman who a judge ruled had been discriminated against when she was blocked from the female-only social media app, Giggle for Girls.
In a follow-up post sharing the altered video, Spencer said, “There. Done. Changed the logo. But also seeing as SBS is tax-funded, doesn’t that mean we own the logo?”
The updated video came after Spencer confirmed she had been fired from her job at Victoria’s Peninsula Hot Springs spa and accommodation amid the backlash over the skit.
“Deeply disappointed in my former workplace,” Spencer wrote on her Instagram Stories alongside a screenshot of the company’s response to the controversy.
“They fired me yesterday morning on the spot with no notice, after people publicly and illegally doxxed where I work,” she said.
Spencer claimed Peninsula Hot Springs’ response — which said it does “endorse content that is inconsistent with our values” — was “completely incorrect”.
“They cater to certain types of people more than others. I will be seeking legal advice,” Spencer said.
In a social media statement, Peninsula Hot Springs said it was “is aware of concerns that have been raised regarding social media content circulating online from a former employee”.
“We want to acknowledge and sincerely recognise the concern and disappointment that has been expressed, particularly by members of First Nations communities, community partners and those who have reached out to us directly,” the business wrote.
“We do not support or endorse content that is inconsistent with our values or our commitment to inclusion, respect and cultural safety.”
Lisa Jane Spencer launched a fundraiser
In a follow-up post on Friday, Spencer shared that she had launched a fundraiser “to help cover some costs going ahead”, including the loss of her job and the resultant legal advice.
At the time of writing, almost $8,000 has been raised.
SBS joined a chorus of backlash in the wake of Spencer’s video, which saw her mock Aboriginal customs and reiterate harmful racial stereotypes.
“Let’s be clear — it’s not humour. It’s a racist stereotype that First Nations people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, have been facing for generations,” Noongar woman and reality TV star Brooke Blurton said.
“Words matter, and content matters. And when someone with a platform chooses to reiterate and spread racial stereotypes — harmful racial stereotypes, mind you — it actually contributes to the discrimination that First Nations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are already facing every day.”
Lead images: TikTok
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