Indigenous TV presenter Narelda Jacobs has claimed she was refused a seat at a Melbourne café only for it to be given to a ‘white man’.
The Studio 10 co-host, 48, took to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday to detail the shocking treatment she allegedly received while going for her morning coffee.
She claimed she was given a seat at the back of the café, which she did not name, despite there being a ‘nicely placed empty table’ further towards the front.
Narelda, who is of Whadjuk Noongar heritage, claimed the empty table was then offered to a ‘white man’ who walked in immediately after her.
She shared her outrage over the alleged incident and posted a picture of herself having a coffee at another café after taking her business elsewhere.
Alongside a smiling selfie, she wrote: ‘Good morning Melbourne, except the one café who refused me a nicely placed empty table, instead seating me at the back, only to offer the same empty table to the white man who walked in after me.’
She followed up her post with a picture of herself enjoying a coffee at the other café, adding: ‘Show ’em how it’s done.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Narelda for comment.
The 10News First Perth broadcaster has long been a vocal campaigner for Indigenous rights in Australia and is on the board of the National Justice Project.
Last year, she vowed to educate Australians on the colonial history of Australia Day as she urged citizens not to celebrate the national day.
January 26 marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales, and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip.
Narelda told The Daily Telegraph many Australians remain unaware of the history of colonialism, and that she feels it’s her responsibility to ‘educate’ the country on why the date should be changed.
‘There is no way that we can celebrate on January 26 – not now and not into the future, because the impacts of colonisation have lasted 230-something years, and will continue to last because it’s intergenerational,’ she said.
‘The poverty that we have in this country among First Nations people is absolutely harrowing and yet, half an hour down the road, you can go from extreme poverty to billionaire’s row.
‘So that’s what January 26 represents to me – it was the beginning of that trauma for our people.
‘So we need to open the eyes to the rest of the population, and educate them about changing the date and it not being a date to celebrate – then we will be a better country.’
Narelda also paid a touching tribute to her Indigenous heritage during her wedding to her partner Karina Natt in August of this year.
The couple exchanged vows in front of their loved ones in a romantic ceremony and stood underneath a flower arch as they said ‘I do’.
The arch was constructed by Indigenous designer Teagan Murdock from Ngumpie Weaving and formed the centre piece of the wedding ceremony.
The piece featured native flowers and feathers from an emu – a bird considered a totem animal for some Aboriginal groups.
The emu represents a sacred connection between humans and the natural world and symbolises resilience, strength, and survival.
Narelda explained in an Instagram caption: ‘The wedding arch, our bouquets and table flowers brought a touch of the bush into Sydney’s CBD.
‘Thank you for being across all the detail as our event manager. Thank you.’
Narelda’s late father Cedric was an Indigenous man and a member of the Stolen Generations, while her mother Margaret, who is white, migrated to Australia from Northern Ireland with her family.
