Cricket Australia backed an international crackdown on racism on Tuesday but said the term "pom" could still be used against the English.
Cricket Australia (CA) spokesman Peter Young said his organisation fully supported International Cricket Council recommendations made on Monday after South Africa players alleged they were racially abused on a tour Down Under last December and January.
But Young told Australian Associated Press that CA had received advice from Australia's Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission that calling the English "poms" was still permissible.
Young said the commission's advice, based on a 1997 discrimination ruling, was that "pom" was not hurtful when used in isolation, although using the word with others could be deemed racist, offensive or humiliating.
He refused to speculate on whether Australian fans who combined the term "pom" with offensive words to taunt English fans during the upcoming Ashes series could face eviction and bans from cricket grounds.
"That's a hypothetical," he said.
The ICC said on Monday the updated code was "designed to allow ICC members to impose a range of punishments on spectators found guilty of racial abuse, ranging from ejection from the venue to a life ban.
"Members failing to uphold the code could also face penalties if racist incidents happen at a venue under their control, those penalties ranging from warnings through to fines and the possible withdrawal of international status from the venue where any incident took place," the ICC added.
{{/usCountry}}"Members failing to uphold the code could also face penalties if racist incidents happen at a venue under their control, those penalties ranging from warnings through to fines and the possible withdrawal of international status from the venue where any incident took place," the ICC added.
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