Parliamentary Inquiry ‘should look at workplace racism’
Racism against First Nations people in the workplace should feature in the parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, according to UTS Sydney’s Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW).
Director of CIPW, Prof Nareen Young, welcomed the Inquiry as an important mechanism to explore the extent of workplace racism and recommend strategies to eradicate this.
“Our research has found that racism against First Nations people in the workplace remains stubbornly prevalent,” Prof Young said.
“At the current rate of progress, without further policy or legislative change, it could take another 118 years for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers to never hear racial slurs and jokes at work,” Prof Young said.
Key Points
- CIPW welcomes a new parliamentary inquiry announced on March 5
- Calls for workplace racism against First Nations people to be central
- Research warns progress without reform could take another 118 years
- Inquiry to be chaired by Senator Jana Stewart, Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba
- CIPW to submit Gari Yala 2 and back a national anti-racism framework
- Race Discrimination Commissioner and ACTU supported call for over a year
CIPW, together with Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman and the Australian Council of Trade Unions has been calling for a Parliamentary Inquiry into workplace racism for over a year.
“This inquiry is timely given the numerous examples of workplace racism collected by us in all of our research on the workplace experiences of Indigenous people,” Prof Young said.
Prof Young said it was appropriate that Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba woman Senator Jana Stewart would Chair the Inquiry.
“Our research has found racism against First Nations people”
— Prof Nareen Young
“Senator Stewart’s leadership of the Inquiry is consistent with every recommendation of the CIPW that ‘Indigenous work’ should be carried out by Indigenous people in Australian workplaces,” Prof Young said.
Prof Young said that CIPW will make its report into workplace racism against First Nations people, Gari Yala 2 to the Committee.
Proposals to committee
CIPW will also urge the Committee to recommend the implementation of the National Anti-Racism Framework as proposed by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Gari Yala is Australia’s largest research study into workplace racism experienced by First Nations people. It details the extent of racism in the workplace and provides recommendations on how to overcome this.
