Newcastle pub slammed for promoting 'midget-tossing' event

The Great Northern Hotel in Newcastle has apologised for promoting a "midget-tossing" game during a planned Wolf of Wall Street-inspired event.

The hotel released a video and poster spruiking a pop-up casino that also said: "If that won't keep you on your toes the whole night, sign up for our FREE MIDGET-TOSSING!!"

"Hit the target and receive a FREE DRINK!!" the poster said.

Short Statured People of Australia national president Sam Millar said although the promotion was intended as a joke it still had "real world consequences".

"We know that in the past unfortunately after events like this there have been people in the community that have been picked up and thrown in local bars and have been injured significantly,” he told the ABC.

The NSW Minister for Disability Services Gareth Ward used "entirely inappropriate language".

"Look, I am not one for political correctness — I often call it out — but … I would say to the Great Northern Hotel, this doesn't pass the pub test," he said.

The group Dwarfism Awareness Australia said using the word midget was offensive.

"It is a derogatory slang word that is pretty much on par [with] calling someone the 'N-word'," the group said.

The video has since been taken down and an apology issued by the pub management.

"We are extremely sorry for any offence or reference to our Wolf of Watt St event, with tossing of any people," the hotel stated.

"We had no intention of doing so and this was a misguided comment, in reference to the film."

Sheridan Randall, 16^th September 2019