The Federal Court in Melbourne has begun hearing a civil case against Herald Sun newspaper columnist Andrew Bolt.

Bolt is being sued under the Racial Discrimination Act by a group of Aborigines over four articles he wrote in 2009.

The court has heard the articles questioned the motives of light or white-skinned people who identified themselves as Aboriginal, implying they did so for personal gain.

The court was told Bolt was breeding prejudice against them.

The court heard the articles were "a head-on assault on a group of highly successful and high-achieving" Aborigines.

The counsel representing nine Aborigines is seeking a public apology from Bolt and a ban on republishing the articles, which appeared in 2009 and 2010.

The applicants say they were offended, insulted, humiliated or intimidated by Bolt's articles.

The applicants are taking class action against him over articles and blogs including one headlined "White is the new black" and articles "It's so hip to be black" and "White fellas in the black".

Barrister Ron Merkel SC, appearing for the applicants, said the articles took a eugenics approach that was frozen in history.

Mr Merkel said Bolt's articles had trivialised the Aborigines, were gratuitous and stereotyped a group of Aborigines who had fair skin.

He said the articles had questioned their Aboriginality and their right to receive taxpayer-funded grants.

"What he says is that if you don't look Aboriginal, then you don't have to be," Mr Merkel said.

He said Bolt's idea of an Aborigine was of a man standing on a hill with a spear.

"He is living in a mindset frozen in history, frozen in a period of time," Mr Merkel said.

One of the witnesses, Bindy Cole, testified she was distressed and offended by the articles because they denied her Aboriginality was real, based only on how she looked.

She told the court Bolt was saying the only genuine Aboriginal people are those with two Aboriginal parents and dark skin.

The defence will argue the articles are exempt under the Act because Bolt was expressing genuinely held views on matters of public interest.

Bolt is a regular guest on the ABC's Insiders program.

The hearing is continuing.

- ABC/AAP