Workplace still a major source of racism against First Nations people

Researchers have told the Joint Parliamentary Racism Inquiry in Sydney that almost 53 per cent of Indigenous employees experience racism in Australian workplaces.

Researchers from the UTS Centre for Indigenous People and Work  told the Inquiry the workplace remained one of the most prevalent sites of racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Key Points

Only 40 per cent of Indigenous employees reported their workplaces were culturally safe. Most respondents described their workplaces as either culturally unsafe (25 per cent) or only moderately safe (35 per cent).

Centre for Indigenous People and Work Director Professor Nareen Young, pictured, told the Committee the results were a wake-up call for employers and all levels of government, noting that while there has been some progress since 2020, racism and cultural safety shortfalls persist.

“Although, there has been some progress since our first report in 2020, racism and lack of cultural safety remain widespread.” she said.

Prof. Young said that six years on from the first Gari Yala study there have been small gains, but racism remains stubbornly high.

The testimony drew on Gari Yala 2 (Speak the Truth), CIPW’s survey of more than 1,100 Indigenous employees. Six years on from the first Gari Yala study, Professor Young reported small gains, while racism remains stubbornly high.

Findings include:

• More employees feel safe to share their identity (79 per cent versus 72 per cent) and seven of nine forms of racism have eased slightly (by between 0.4 per cent and 1 per cent per year).
• Key markers like unfair treatment (38 per cent in both years), high cultural load (63 per cent versus 64 per cent), and anti-racism structures (only 21 per cent of workplaces offering both training and a complaint process in both years) show no progress.
• CIPW told an Australian parliamentary inquiry that workplaces remain a major source of racism for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, citing Gari Yala 2 findings.

Professor Young told the Committee that at the current rate of progress, and without further policy or legislative change, it could take another 118 years before Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers no longer hear racial slurs and jokes at work. She said the increase in Indigenous workforce participation is a significant achievement, but workplaces must be made safe so people are not subjected to vilification and ridicule as a condition of employment.

“Gari Yala found that racism is widespread but not inevitable.”

— Professor Nareen Young

CIPW Assistant Director Josh Gilbert said most Australian workplaces remain unprepared to prevent or respond to racism.

He told the inquiry that 63 per cent of Indigenous employees say their workplace provides no anti-discrimination training that addresses racism towards Indigenous people.

“Even more concerning is the fact that 69 percent said their workplace doesn’t have a racism complaint procedure as required by the law,” Mr Gilbert said.

Professor Young urged the Committee to fully consider Gari Yala’s findings. She said racism is widespread but not inevitable, and called on government to act rather than wait a century for workplaces to become safe.

““Gari Yala found that racism is widespread but not inevitable. We urge government to take heed of the findings and act because we shouldn’t have to wait a century to rid our workplaces of racism,” she said.