Woman says AFL racism inquiry 'unsafe'

A woman at the centre of the explosive Hawthorn racism claims has slammed the investigation into the allegations, confirming she won't take part.

In a statement released on Wednesday by Marque Lawyers, a woman identified as "Amy" (not her real name) says the independent investigation commissioned by the AFL is unsafe.

"Amy is refusing to consent to the silencing tactics of the AFL," the statement read.

Also on Wednesday, new North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson vowed to strongly defend himself against the charges of racism, which date back to his time at Hawthorn.

Clarkson officially started his new job as Kangaroos AFL coach on Wednesday after signing a five-year contract in late August.

But the 54-year-old acknowledged his main focus in the coming weeks would be the investigation into allegations of racism levelled against himself, former Hawthorn football boss and now Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan and ex-Hawks official Jason Burt.

Clarkson and Fagan originally stood aside when the allegations were made public in September.

On October 20, the AFL released the terms of reference for the independent investigation, with a goal of wrapping it up by Christmas.

But AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan admitted at the time the league was unsure whether the Indigenous players and their partners who had made the allegations would take part in the investigation.

On Monday, Amy, identified as a Gunditjmara and Bunitj woman, made it clear she would not.

"I could either stay numb and silent, or I could find my voice and play my part in the struggle to try and create safety and protection for our young ones who would inevitably face these systems," she said in the statement.

The statement said Amy was given only two days to consider the investigation's terms of reference before they were made public, "leaving her no choice but to not participate in the process.

"To underline the lack of real consultation, the final ToR released by the AFL are materially different from the version provided to Amy two days earlier."

The statement raises a series of issues - that the investigation is not independent, that it continues the pattern of abuse it is supposedly addressing, it is being rushed and it is not culturally safe.

It adds: "The AFL does not have the appropriate appetite, expertise or strategy to effectively address the matters raised in the Hawthorn cultural safety review."

The allegations came out of the review, conducted by Phil Egan, a former Richmond player.

The Marque statement says Amy alleges she was the victim of "appalling mistreatment" by Hawthorn.

Clarkson is determined to tell his side of the story.

"At the minute they are just allegations and we're going to defend ourselves pretty strongly in the investigation," Clarkson told reporters.

"Like anyone in this world, until the allegations are proven you should be able to get on and live your life.

"I'd be very, very surprised if we weren't able to put a really strong case forward that these allegations have been reported in a different way than we saw them when we were at the club."

A four-person panel chaired by lawyer Bernard Quinn KC will look into the allegations by former Hawthorn Indigenous players and their partners of inappropriate conduct by Clarkson, Fagan and Burt dating back to the previous decade.

It has yet to be announced when Clarkson, Fagan and Burt will front the panel.

Clarkson coached the Hawks to four flags during a successful 17-year tenure before being replaced by Sam Mitchell late in the 2021 season.

Fagan returned to his coaching duties at Brisbane last week.

The AFL released a statement on Wednesday evening, saying "we acknowledged the pain, trauma and grief" of Amy.

"It reinforces how serious these allegations are and how important it is that the AFL treat them appropriately," the statement added.

The league added it can only investigate under AFL rules and its process does not stop anyone from taking separate legal action "or seeking redress in another forum or jurisdiction."

The AFL said in the process before the start of the investigation "no individual had all their requests met".