The Northern Territory politician said Wednesday that once Goodes became the object of abuse once he started challenging mainstream Australia's perception of Aboriginal people.
"He's an inspirational human being and he's become a victim because he speaks out on Aboriginal issues; he's become a big target," Nova Peris told NITV News.
He said he was going to call racism out and he's done that, and now he's being subjected to racial hatred because he calls it out when he sees it
Ms Peris said his strong character had unsettled mainstream Australia.
"The underlying issue here is he's spoken out, he makes people uncomfortable. You know when he was [named] Australian of the year, the whole attitude towards him changed dramatically," she said.
The senator said he was not afraid to tackle racism.
"He said he was going to call racism out and he's done that, and now he's being subjected to racial hatred because he calls it out when he sees it."
