Outrage over ‘woke’ white privilege training in Victoria as radio star unleashes on air: ‘You’re shamed for being white’

Kyle Sandilands has rejected a controversial plan by Victoria’s Department of Justice and Community Safety to include white privilege training in a new taxpayer-funded cultural awareness course.

Department employees will receive the training as the state moves forward with plans to forge a historic treaty with indigenous people.

The mandatory cultural awareness course includes an optional white privilege module.

Speaking on the Kyle & Jackie O show on Wednesday morning, Sandilands, 53, criticized the “woke” plan, suggesting it teaches that being white is inherently problematic.

“It’s part of this taxpayer-funded cultural awareness course, which is really some nonsense where employees are taught that if you were born white, you’ve probably had a pretty busy life,” the KIIS FM star said in the air.

‘Why do we have to learn that?

“When you work for the Victorian Department of Justice, thousands of people, you are forced to feel ashamed for being white.”

However, his co-presenter Jackie ‘O’ Henderson supported the move, saying the course aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by other cultures.

“I don’t think it’s shaming… I thought it just made them aware that other cultures don’t have it as easy as we do, which is the truth,” the 49-year-old said.

The term white privilege refers to the advantages afforded to white people by systemic forms of racial injustice.

Addressing the media at Victoria’s Parliament House on Tuesday, Prime Minister Jacinta Allan defended the move, noting the white privilege training module was voluntary.

“It’s a bit harsh to call this one module, one training program, that is optional for those employees,” Ms Allan said.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the efforts to make workplaces safe and respectful for everyone.”

Prime Minister Jacinta Allan (pictured) defended the move, noting that the white privilege training module was voluntary

AAP reported that the taxpayer-funded training will not be rolled out to other government agencies or departments.

How agencies “branded” workplace training was a matter for them, Ms Allan said.

Minister of Corrections and Youth Justice Enver Erdogan also supported the training module, but admitted that a name change might have been wise.

‘[It] probably could have been renamed,” he said.

‘People have different perspectives on life and different backgrounds and I think that’s important to understand in the multicultural society.’

Opposition spokesman Brad Battin said it was a failure of good governance for Labor to support race-based training.

“Victorians are not paying taxes to support Labour’s woke agenda,” he told AAP.

Negotiations for Australia’s first treaty with Aboriginal people were due to begin in November between the Victorian government and the First Peoples’ Assembly.

The opposition withdrew its support for the treaty in January after the failed national referendum vote in federal parliament, citing concerns over cultural heritage laws.