A children’s book written by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been withdrawn from sale after it was criticised for causing offence to Indigenous Australians.
The Guardian newspaper reported on Saturday that the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation blasted Billy and the Epic Escape, which was published earlier this year, for employing a series of tropes and stereotypes about Indigenous Australians, including their relationships with the natural and spiritual worlds.
The group criticised one of the fantasy novel’s subplots, which tells the story of an Indigenous girl living in foster care, for contributing to the “erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences”.
In a statement, Oliver, 49, said he was “devastated” to have caused offence and apologised “wholeheartedly”.
It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue
“It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue,” he said. “Together with my publishers we have decided to withdraw the book from sale.”
