Queensland Publican Faces Legal Action Over Alleged Racial Posts
A Queensland publican has declared he will be forced to sell his business and depart his long-term home after an Indigenous group initiated legal proceedings against him concerning social media content. The group claims the posts were deliberately crafted to provoke racial discord within the local community.
Federal Court Proceedings Initiated
Michael Offerdahl, the proprietor of the Toobeah Hotel situated in the Western Downs region, found himself the subject of a lawsuit filed in the Federal Court of Brisbane last month. The legal action was brought forward by nineteen members of the Bigambul people, a group that secured native title recognition for areas surrounding Goondiwindi during 2016 and 2017. Goondiwindi is located approximately fifty kilometres east of Toobeah, a town with a modest population of one hundred and forty-nine residents.
Allegations of Harmful Online Commentary
The Bigambul group contends that Mr Offerdahl's online publications insinuate they are not genuine Indigenous people, labelling them as 'fake-origine', opportunistic native title claimants, aggressive land acquirers, and even a 'state-funded terror group'. These allegations stem from a series of Facebook posts published by the publican over an eighteen-month period, primarily criticising the Queensland Government's decision to transfer the land title of the Toobeah Reserve.
In late 2024, the government transferred the two hundred and ten hectare site, which borders Mr Offerdahl's hotel, to the Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation. Court documents submitted on Christmas Eve detail that Mr Offerdahl referred to the Bigambul people as 'nothing more than indentured labour like the Chinese' and asserted they were 'not real Aboriginal people'.
Publican's Response and Personal Anguish
Mr Offerdahl, who has resided in the pub since 1998 and raised his family there, expressed profound distress to the Daily Mail. He stated that defending himself against these allegations would necessitate selling the establishment and leaving Toobeah. 'I don't see how there's much future here for us,' he lamented. 'It will survive without me. But it's just sad - 28 years we've been here. I grew up in the pub, just like my kids have.'
The Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation responded, characterising the posts as 'hurtful, false and calculated to generate racial hostility towards the Bigambul people and anti-Bigambul sentiment in the wider community'.
Contentious Social Media Comparisons
In one Facebook post observed by the Daily Mail, Mr Offerdahl drew a direct comparison, writing: 'The Bigambul want their Grandma's camp site back! I want my grandma's house back. This is litterly [sic] what's going on in Toobeah.' He further accused the town of being 'terrorised and bullied by a government department called Aboriginal Land Services and the Bigambul corporation who are basically a state-funded terror group.'
Another post controversially likened the Aboriginal Land Act and Native Title legislation to policies in Nazi Germany, which 'reclaimed Jewish-owned property for Aryans under the guise of restoring rightful ownership'.
Claims of Reverse Discrimination and Political Context
Mr Offerdahl countered that he is the victim of racial hostility, arguing that the Queensland Aboriginal Land Act itself marginalises non-Indigenous community members. '100 per cent of our community isn't Aboriginal so we never had a chance of being acknowledged as human beings,' he claimed. He stood by his description of the corporation as a 'state-funded terror group', insisting it was a valid characterisation from his perspective in Toobeah.
The dispute has attracted political attention, with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson previously criticising the land transfer and pledging to seek the abolition of the Aboriginal Land Act if her party were elected. Mr Offerdahl has been photographed with Senator Hanson.
Legal Demands and Defence
The Bigambul claimants have petitioned the Federal Court to order Mr Offerdahl to issue a public apology both on social media platforms and in the local newspaper, in addition to removing the contentious posts from Facebook. Youth leaders Brenton Sefo-Wallace and Lilly Graham are among the nineteen individuals pursuing the lawsuit.
Mr Offerdahl perceives the legal action as an attempt to curtail his freedom of speech. 'It's obviously just a process to take my freedom of speech, to shut me up and silence me,' he stated. He maintained that if his comments were genuinely racist, he would have faced criminal charges by now. 'Everyone's being used, but there's no-one for anyone like me to use,' he added, expressing a sense of isolation.
As matters stand, no formal defence has been lodged with the court, and a hearing date remains unconfirmed. Mr Offerdahl has not yet engaged legal representation for his case. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation for their commentary on the ongoing situation.
