A Coolgardie publican has apologised for barring service to indigenous people after her mobile phone was allegedly stolen.
Deborah Ovens, publican of the Denver City Hotel on Bayley Street in Coolgardie, said she put the sign up on the wall of her pub after her iPhone was stolen from the pub on March 1.
The sign reads: "No indigenous person will be served in this hotel until my apple i phone is returned that was stolen on 1st March 2014."
The sign names the person Ms Ovens believes stole her phone.
While she initially told WAtoday there was "no issue" with the sign, which attracted 833 shares and 267 comments on Facebook, she later went on air with Radio 6PR and apologised.
"I was pretty upset and in hindsight I know it was the wrong thing to do and I do apologise to the Aboriginal community and I was just hurt," she said.
"I've lived in an Aboriginal community for the last decade and I have complete respect for the whole people as I say, so putting that on the sign was wrong."
Talkback caller Lisa told Radio 6PR that her nephew, an Aboriginal man working in the mining industry, was refused service when he went into the pub with a group of non-Aboriginal work friends.
"We went up to the bar and they wouldn't serve him, he asked why not and they just pointed to the sign," she said.
"He couldn't believe it, he was really shocked.
"It's assuming that all Aboriginal people know each other and my nephew has no idea who the person is.
"He's been for a drink there before, but as soon as they pointed to the sign he and his work friends left and went to another pub."
Ms Ovens disputed Lisa's version of events, however she added that she was prepared to face the possible legal consequences of her actions.
"The lady who called in earlier about her nephew who came in with workmates, I hate to say, is not correct and I do have witnesses who would verify that.
"He came in on his own, he asked and I did say 'no, I’m sorry, I can’t serve you' but there were no other people with him, he was on his own."
Aboriginal Legal Service of WA CEO Dennis Eggington said he found the poster offensive and highly discriminatory.
"This sort of thing, a poster like that, is disgraceful," he said.
"These sorts of things in the past have led to a range of things like vigilante groups going out, it's not on.
"I'm sure there are other Aboriginal people who use the pub and if she turned them away I'd think it would take away a fair bit of her revenue.
"I would think we've moved on in society since the days where we take it out on a whole group of people.
"She runs the risk now of offending lots of aboriginal people in Coolgardie... I can't understand why you would do something so stupid."
Australian Hotels Association CEO Bradley Woods said he encouraged authorities to prosecute the business to the full extent of the law.
"It's not often I'm lost for words but this is one time... my mind struggles to understand the stupidity in this."
"It's like someone is trapped in a time warp, in the bayou in 1920s Mississippi.
"It's outrageous, it's unacceptable and this is something the industry won't tolerate, it's reprehensible."
Police spokeswoman Ros Weatherall said WA Police were aware of the sign and Kalgoorlie detectives would conduct further investigations into the matter.
Slater and Gordon Lawyers' Rachel Cosentino said state and Commonwealth discrimination acts allowed no room for barring people based on their race.
"Once you are in the business of providing a service or product, then anti-discrimination laws apply," she said.
"The Commonwealth Race Discrimination Act and the State Equal Opportunity Act both prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race in the provision of services.
"Any person can apply to the Equal Opportunity Commission or the Human Rights Commission for a whole range of orders, there's a broad scope of remedies that can be granted."
Ms Consentino said there was a component of hurt and humiliation if you were refused service because of your race.
"That's usually on the lower scale of things, it's more about orders to prevent the discrimination occurring in the future, orders for the service provider to be educated... those sorts of more practical relief."
