Sydney Opera House rocked by allegations of systemic racism

Sydney Opera House chief executive Louise Herron has vowed to "root out" any systemic racism within the organisation after a group of people who have worked there came forward with a series of allegations, including an incidence of blackface. Key points: A man wore blackface at a Sydney Opera House staff trivia night in 2016 until a manager asked him to remove it Earlier this year, a group of former employees released a statement expressing their concerns about structural racism at the organisation Indigenous staff members, including a former leader, say they have been asked to intervene in crisis situations with Indigenous patrons Earlier this year, the group released a joint statement calling on management to address alleged structural racism, claiming the Opera House was a culturally unsafe and unequal workplace, that security racially profiled members of the public, and that there was a lack of culturally diverse staff in leadership positions. When asked how she thought systemic racism manifested itself at the Opera House, Ms Herron replied: "I was reflecting the words that were written in the statement." "Our vision for diversity is that the Opera House, who we are and everything we do reflects and respects the diversity of the community," Ms Herron told 7.30. "They're not being as diplomatic as us," former Opera House veteran Rhoda Roberts told 7.30.