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Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has apologised after complaints were made about his latest children’s book, Billy and the Epic Escape. The book, which was published earlier this year, had been criticised by some First Nations leaders for how it stereotyped Indigenous Australians. Andrew Giles, the shadow minister for multicultural affairs, outgoing Greens senator Lidia Thorpe, and activist and filmmaker Dr Sana Nakata were just a few of the people who vocalised their disapproval of the book.
According to The Guardian Australia, Billy and the Epic Escape is a 400-page fantasy novel which follows the adventures of a central Australian Aboriginal girl with “mystical powers”, who is living in foster care until she is abducted. The story is one in which the character is given the ability to read people’s minds and communicate with animals and plants because “that’s the Indigenous way” of doing things.
Some First Nations leaders called the book “offensive”, claiming that it contained language errors and further contributed to the “erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences”. Many were unhappy that Billy and the Epic Escape added to the notion that Indigenous belief systems were somehow “magic”, rather than “complex and diverse belief systems”.
Oliver has apologised, saying that he is “devastated” to have caused hurt. The book’s publisher, Penguin Random House UK, had originally said that Oliver had requested Indigenous Australians be consulted over the book, but an “editorial oversight” meant that this did not happen. The publisher later issued a statement regarding the book’s withdrawal. “It is clear that our publishing standards fell short on this occasion, and we must learn from that,” the statement read
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