An Indigenous woman who was fined over an alleged road rage incident with a male cyclist is suing New South Wales police. She claims an officer discriminated against her based on her race and gender. The police force is fighting the case, denying there was any discrimination.
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00:00 Pauline Weldon-Bowen was with her one-year-old son when she had an altercation with a cyclist.
00:09 She captured part of it on video as he followed her through the streets.
00:13 "I was quite scared at this age, but I couldn't do anything about it other than just keep
00:19 trying to get away from him."
00:21 They both went to police and blamed each other.
00:24 But Ms Weldon-Bowen claims she was treated differently by the officer, prompting her
00:28 to ask for an Aboriginal liaison officer.
00:32 Both were fined for negligence, but she believes she wasn't treated as a victim because she's
00:37 an Indigenous woman.
00:38 "I didn't feel supported.
00:40 I didn't feel like I went in there as this victim looking for help.
00:45 I felt like I was just targeted for who I am."
00:49 Her lawyer says it's an all-too-frequent example of the more subtle bias Indigenous people
00:54 experience with the police.
00:56 "We believe that the objective evidence was treated with scepticism and in some places
01:04 effectively ignored.
01:06 We believe this scenario wouldn't have eventuated the way it did had she not been an Aboriginal
01:10 woman."
01:11 Ms Weldon-Bowen successfully challenged the fine in court, and she's now suing police
01:16 in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal for racial and sexual discrimination.
01:21 The police force is fighting the case, and the officer involved denies having any bias
01:25 against her.
01:27 The tribunal is expected to hand down a decision early next year.
01:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]