Federal Coalition MP Llew O'Brien has sparked controversy with a social media post declaring “White Men Can Sprint” after Australian sprinter Lachlan Kennedy won silver in the 100 metres at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
O'Brien's Social Media Post
O'Brien, the LNP member for Wide Bay in Queensland, wrote on Wednesday that Kennedy's performance was “absolutely outstanding” and that it was “encouraging to see a White Australian compete at this level”. He noted that Kennedy missed gold by just two hundredths of a second, running 9.85 seconds to break the Australian record held by Patrick Johnson.
O'Brien added that his “observation isn’t intended to diminish the extraordinary achievements of Black athletes, who have dominated elite sprinting for many years”. He said it was simply an acknowledgement that Australians of every background can take pride in seeing someone who reflects their own heritage succeed.
Political Reactions
Opposition leader Angus Taylor downplayed the comments, saying he congratulated all Australians who are competing for Australia, regardless of background. “I don’t care what their background is,” Taylor told reporters. “We love Australians winning medals. We love Australians succeeding.”
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe criticised O'Brien, calling on him to “check his own privilege and prejudice”. She said his comments were inflammatory and fed into a racist narrative that divides the country. “Llew O’Brien’s comments show that he has no understanding of the privilege of whiteness and how many layers Aboriginal people have to get through to get to that professional athlete level,” Thorpe said.
Greens leader Larissa Waters said there had been a “race to the bottom on things like this”. She praised Kennedy for setting a new record but added, “I don’t think his skin colour has anything to do with his abilities.”
O'Brien's Political Background
O'Brien has a reputation as a maverick. In 2020, he moved a spill motion against then-leader Michael McCormack to allow Barnaby Joyce to contest the leadership. That motion failed, and O'Brien temporarily left the Nationals party room. He later accepted a nomination from Labor to serve as deputy speaker, against the government's endorsed candidate.
There had been speculation O'Brien could join One Nation, but he said in May he would remain a Nationals member until he retires or is voted out.
