This Indigenous Actor Wants To End Racial Profiling In The Taxi Industry

"Australia is peculiarly and significantly racist against its first nations people".

In October, veteran stage and screen actor Jack Charles was on top of the world at a glitzy event in Melbourne where he was awarded the 2016 Victorian Senior Australian of the Year.

Allan Clarke / BuzzFeed

"I thought I had no bloody chance, and then they read my name", says Charles, the self-professed 'feather foot' [a traditional Aboriginal law man] of Smith Street, Collingwood.

Jubilation would soon turn to sadness and anger when moments after leaving the awards with his manager Patrice Capogreco a taxi driver told the 72-year-old that he couldn't be trusted to pay the fare.

“I was so full of life having received Australia Victorian [Senior] of the Year, so happy. When I left the Hilton as usual with us [Aboriginal people] we grab the nearest person with us if they're white to hail the cab, so I did this with my manager,” Charles told BuzzFeed News.

"My manager was saying [to the taxi driver], ‘I want you to take me to my place and then Uncle Jack to his place and we have a taxi voucher is that all good?’, and he said, ‘No, he [Charles] must pay cash to me up front,’ despite having a Cabcharge.”

"He [the taxi driver] point blank said, ‘he [Charles] might not pay at the other end,’ I was so upset I said ‘I declare you fella to be a racist, you’ve just racially profiled me and I object to paying you a bribe at 8:30 at night to take me home".

Charles and Capogreco then took another taxi explaining to the new driver what had happened. “The next taxi driver was a gentleman from West Africa and we told him about the incident and he told us that, ‘we are allowed to ask Aborigines to pay money upfront’.”

The incident deeply affected Charles who withdrew from public life for weeks afterwards.

The Taxi Service Commission chief executive Aaron de Rozario told The Age newspaper at the time, "This type of behaviour is unacceptable and illegal".

"The TSC is investigating Uncle Jack's case as a matter of priority. A complaint of racism could lead to a driver having their accreditation cancelled," Rozario said.

When asked about the number of times he's been racially profiled Charles says, "countless, so many times I wouldn't even know where to start".

Allan Clarke / BuzzFeed

In 2013, Charles was refused service by several taxis in Sydney while starring in the critically acclaimed stage show Coranderrk at the Belvoir Theatre.

"It really took me quite aback and the irony is when I was doing Coranderrk in Sydney my face was plastered on the back of 60 cabs promoting the show and yet I was still refused service from a booking I made from my apartment to the theatre for rehearsals".

Charles says racial profiling has profound mental health affects on Indigenous Australians.

"Australia is peculiarly and significantly racist against its first nations people, the Aboriginals of Australia. It is damaging the heart and soul of our people".

Charles is now using his title of Victorian Senior Australian of the Year to lobby authorities to do more to stamp out racial profiling. "I want accountability in the industry," he says.

Charles is currently involved in closed-door talks with the Victorian state government and authorities from the Victorian taxi industry to come up with a plan to educate drivers.

One of the proposals he's advocating for is the introduction of a review based system, similar to the one used by ride-sharing company Uber, where passengers can submit written online reviews about their drivers.

"I would like to see a program designed where we can give a report on the taxi driver and the taxi driver can give a report on the passenger if they've booked the cab," says Charles.

Charles also tells BuzzFeed News that cultural training is imperative for taxi drivers so they can meet Indigenous people.

"I want taxi drivers to realise that being black means most of the time you will be ignored by taxis if you're on the street," he says.

"This is a common occurrence on the streets for Aborigines, we have to take total strangers, white people, off the street to hire a cab for us, that’s disgraceful".

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