'Step in, speak up' says UOW student after vile racist attack on bus

Wollongong's Patricia Brockbank was on her way to the university on Tuesday morning when an older woman on the bus started throwing racial slurs at a Rebecca Emori.

"Some things she said were so disgusting that I can't even repeat it," Ms Brockbank said.

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"There was also a lot of like 'go back to where you came from' and 'you're using my tax money'."

Ms Emori, a PhD student from Papua New Guinea, initially weathered the verbal storm, unsure of exactly how best to handle the situation.

"We were warned before coming here to study this might happen," she said.

Beyond the behaviour of the protagonist, Ms Brockbank said she was shocked to see no one in the bus willing to publicly stand up for Ms Emori.

"I understand it can be an uncomfortable situation and actually some people at the back may not even have known what was going on because it was so crowded," she said.

"I'm not sure if the bus driver even knew what was happening, the bus was crowded and it happened so quickly.

"But it's not cool just to watch. We have to step in and speak up."

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Ms Emori had tears in her eyes by the time they reached their stop, Ms Brockbank said.

"I ran off after her just to check she was alright."

Happily, she wasn't the only one.

"A lot of people stopped to make sure I was OK once I got off," Ms Emori said. "It meant a lot.

Ms Brockbank, who is in her third year of a Bachelor of Psychology, was glad when she saw Ms Emori jump on her bus the following day.

"We talked and debriefed and exchanged numbers. She told me she was from PNG, doing her PhD"

It was the first time Ms Brockbank has witnessed such a racist attack.

"We've never had anything like this on the campus, everyone there is very inclusive and respectful," she said.

"No one deserved to be abused like this."

Remarkably, Ms Emori found some positive energy from the experience.

"I meet some more wonderful people who once were complete strangers. Now they're not."

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