Lisa Jane Spencer: Comedian under fire for ‘diabolical’ skit featuring mock Aboriginal dance, petrol sniffing

An Australian comedian has been slammed after she posted a parody video depicting petrol sniffing and a smoking ceremony in a ‘satirical’ impression of a white woman ‘transitioning’ to being Aboriginal.

Lisa Jane Spencer posted the video to her social media account on Tuesday, depicting herself in an interview as “Aunty Lisa”, captioned with, “Aboriginal person”.

“I started identifying as a black fella a few months ago . . . And I finally feel at peace with who I am, one of the mob,” Ms Spencer said.

The comedian is then pictured ticking a fake government form, saying: “Am I Aboriginal? Yes, yes, I am.”

The video then cut to Ms Spencer dancing barefoot and singing, while she clapped two sticks together. She is also depicted wearing white face paint.

“Aboriginal identity transcends skin colour. I am Aboriginal, end of story,” Ms Spencer then said.

Ms Spencer is then seen sniffing from a red jerry can.

Backlash to the imitation was swift, as hundreds of people flooded the video’s comment section.

“Racism isn’t comedy,” one person said.

“Recorded it, edited it, and posted it. Diabolical,” another said.

“This is deeply disturbing and insensitive. Please remove this,” a third said.

Some comments were supportive of the skit.

“GIRLLLLL you’re gonna make them mad with this one 😂👏🏻,” one person said.

Following the backlash, Ms Spencer took to her Instagram story, but did not back down from the video.

“I love Aboriginal people. And I think they’re smart enough to know when they’re being used,” she said.

“Petrol sniffing happens . . . It’s a very real thing in remote Australia. But here’s what’s also real: politicians and activists use Aboriginal suffering too.

“They parade it out for votes, for funding and for virtue signalling. And they hate it when someone points out that maybe not every single Aboriginal person wants to be the eternal victim.”

Ms Spencer also refused to apologise for the video, saying that “this is comedy” and that she pushes “the boundaries” as part of her work.

“My joke was first about how easy it is to perform identity for attention and/or benefits . . . The petrol at the end of my skit was the punchline,” she said.

“Although you’re entitled to feeling offended, you’re also proving my point: you need victimhood.

“If you can’t make jokes about certain people and things then that is a form of privilege and hierarchy and comedy is about tearing those down.”