More needs to be done to address workplace racism in Australia

Over 90% of respondents surveyed suggest businesses in Australia should take better action to address racism at work, revealed a report by Diversity Council Australia (DCA).

Less than a third of respondents said their company is proactively preventing racial discrimination in the workplace, and some 88% believe racism to be an issue at the workplace.

“Approaches to racism in Australian workplaces will only succeed if they recognise and acknowledge racism as systemic. This really starts with us using the language of racism and calling it what it is, to identify and effectively respond to racism, we need to stop shying away from it by using race-neutral language like ‘harmony, cohesion, culture’,” said Dr Virginia Mapedzahama, co-author of the report.

“That language, though useful in its own right, will not help us tackle racism,” she added.

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“Pervasive and persistent racism against Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, as well as people of colour, migrants, refugees and their descendants, is part of Australia’s history,” noted DCA CEO Lisa Annese.

“Racism is not only the result of behaviours or attitudes from a few people, rather, as our research shows, it is also embedded in workplace policies, organisations and workplace cultures,” Annese added.