Western Australia Removes Nicky Winmar Statue After Assault Conviction but Keeps It in Storage Pending Review

Western Australia removed a statue of former AFL player Neil Elvis “Nicky” Winmar from Perth Stadium last week after he was convicted of domestic violence charges. The monument, unveiled in July 2022, showed Winmar lifting his St Kilda jersey and pointing to his skin in response to racial abuse during a 1993 match.

Winmar, 60, was found guilty at Bendigo Magistrates Court this month of two counts of common assault and one count of unlawful assault.

He was acquitted on a charge of intentionally causing injury. The assaults occurred in May 2025 against a woman with whom he was in a relationship in the northern Victoria town of Cohuna. A pre-sentencing hearing is scheduled for August.

WA Premier Roger Cook ordered the immediate removal. “Violence against women is never acceptable and it is important we send a strong message to the community,” Cook said. The state government stated the statue was “no longer appropriate for that statue to be displayed” and placed it in storage with VenuesWest pending a decision on its future.

The AFL said it is reviewing Winmar’s membership in the league’s Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 2022. The league did not comment on whether it had reviewed the status of another Hall of Fame player, Wayne Carey, who pleaded guilty in 1996 to indecent assault.

Jill Gallagher, CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and a domestic violence survivor, said the statue represented more than one individual.

“The Nicky Winmar statue is more than a statue of a footballer, it’s a statue against racism,” she said, adding that more consultation should have occurred before removal. Muriel Bamblett, director of Our Ways Strong Together, said there was “no condoning” of the violence but called for greater community conversation beforehand.