Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy slams Melbourne Storm for 'harmful' association

Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy will be in attendance for the Storm's Indigenous Round clash on Thursday night, but has slammed the club for their association with a driving force behind the "No" campaign in the Voice to Parliament referendum.

Earlier this year, Murphy was scheduled to give a Welcome To Country address prior to Melbourne's Anzac Day clash, but the pre-game ritual was cancelled last-minute.

It led to plenty of backlash from the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander communities, with Murphy disappointed and Storm chairman Matt Tripp forced to apologise.

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While the club has invited Murphy to the opening game of Indigenous Round, she will not be part of the official ceremony and explained her stance relates to board member Brett Ralph, who donated $175,000 to Advance Australia during the referendum in 2023.

At the time, Melbourne and the NRL both publicly supported a "Yes" vote.

"I carry a deep responsibility to community and will not compromise my integrity as a proud Aboriginal woman and community elder," Murphy said in a statement published by The Sydney Morning Herald.

"We cannot support an organisation that has associations with any group that incites racial vilification and division.

"Board members cannot support organisations that create harm to our people.

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"Racism is dangerous. It is up to all leaders to act decisively and publicly to denounce racial harm and protect standards of safety.

"We want to see a commitment across all sporting codes."

Melbourne issued an apology to First Nations people this week.

The board's decision to cancel the ceremony in April cost the club its partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service.