Lyla Lindsey
Australia has a long history of racism, with Indigenous Australians facing severe restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedoms, and continuing to experience discrimination and racist government policies. Racism in Australia is not limited to Indigenous Australians, with people of diverse backgrounds, including European, Asian, African, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and North American Australians, also facing discrimination and harassment. Recent reports and surveys have highlighted the growing problem of racism in Australia, with racist incidents reported in various aspects of Australian society, including public transport, education, and healthcare. The Australian Human Rights Commission has also acknowledged the prevalence of racism in the country, with consultations revealing firsthand accounts of racism and its impact on people's daily lives.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Racism towards Indigenous Australians | Racism towards Indigenous Australians has been confirmed by surveys and self-disclosure of racist attitudes by non-Indigenous Australians. |
| Underrepresentation of minorities in sports | A 2007 report by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) found that Aboriginal and other ethnic groups are underrepresented in Australian sports, possibly due to fear of racial vilification. |
| Racial discrimination in essential institutions | Racist incidents have been reported in essential institutions such as education and healthcare. |
| Anti-Asian racism | During the pandemic, racial abuse and discrimination against Asian Australians worsened, with almost 60% of racist incidents involving physical or verbal harassment. |
| Negative perceptions of migrants | Migrants from Middle Eastern or African countries face negative perceptions and greater stereotyping, creating significant obstacles in seeking housing and employment. |
| Racism in the workplace | One-third of Australians have experienced racism in the workplace. A survey of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers found that 38% were treated unfairly due to their Indigenous background. |
| Underfunding of Aboriginal services | A 2003 paper by health economist Gavin Mooney stated that the Aboriginal Medical Service was underfunded and unsupported by the government. |
| Racist government policies | Australia's history includes racist government policies such as the White Australia policy, officially called the Immigration Restriction Act, aimed at creating a white nation. |
| Racial discrimination in public spaces | Incidents of racial discrimination and harassment have been reported in public spaces such as public transport. |
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What You'll Learn
- Racist government policies and community attitudes towards Indigenous Australians
- Racial abuse and discrimination against Asian Australians
- Xenophobic exclusion and other forms of religious and ethnic discrimination
- Racist attitudes towards Aboriginal Australians by police
- Racist immigration and naturalisation laws
Racist government policies and community attitudes towards Indigenous Australians
Australia has a long history of racist government policies and community attitudes towards Indigenous Australians. Since British colonisation, Indigenous Australians have faced severe restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedoms, and have suffered genocide, forced removals, and massacres.
Racist government policies towards Indigenous Australians have included the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, which aimed to limit non-British migration and create a white nation, and the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901, which facilitated the deportation of Pacific Island workers. The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 gave women the vote across all states but allowed states to restrict the voting rights of Indigenous Australians.
In more recent times, the Northern Territory National Emergency Response in 2007, which was aimed at reducing child molestation, domestic violence, and substance abuse in remote Indigenous communities, was widely condemned as racist. The measures that attracted the most criticism included the exemption from the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, the compulsory acquisition of an unspecified number of prescribed communities, and the partial abolition of the permit system.
In 2016, police raids and behaviour on Palm Island following a death in custody were found to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, with a $30 million settlement awarded to victims. The court found that the police had "acted in these ways because they were dealing with an Aboriginal community," reflecting racist community attitudes towards Indigenous Australians.
Racist community attitudes towards Indigenous Australians persist today. A 2016 study found that 21% of respondents felt that African refugees increased crime in Australia, and 16.1% stated they felt "very negative or somewhat negative" towards African Australians. Another study including non-Indigenous Australians aged 25-44 found that 1 in 5 people admitted they would discriminate against Indigenous Australians in certain situations, and 30-40% held negative stereotypes.
Despite laws such as the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, which prohibit racial discrimination, racism towards Indigenous Australians continues to be pervasive in Australia, impacting their health, wellbeing, and access to justice.
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Racial abuse and discrimination against Asian Australians
Australia has a long history of racism, from its roots as a settler-state built on stolen land to its modern-day treatment of Indigenous Australians and other minorities. While racism in Australia has manifested in various ways, this answer will focus on racial abuse and discrimination against Asian Australians.
Asian Australians have faced significant racial abuse and discrimination, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The racialisation of the pandemic led to increased racist attacks and discrimination against people of Asian descent worldwide, and Australia was no exception. Asian Australians were subjected to physical attacks, verbal harassment, and racist vandalism, with perpetrators blaming them for the coronavirus outbreak. In one instance, "Death to dog eaters" was painted in front of an Asian man's house in Sydney, and two sisters were screamed at and called "Asian dogs" and "dumb whores." A Chinese-Australian family in Melbourne experienced racist vandalism three times in one week. These incidents reflect a broader pattern of anti-Asian racism in Australia during the pandemic, with 500 incidents reported to the Asian Australian Alliance, 60% of which involved physical or verbal harassment.
The pandemic also exacerbated online racism towards Asian Australians, with 40% of participants in a national survey reporting experiences of racism during this period. Younger age groups, males, those born in Australia, English speakers, non-Christians, and recent migrants were more likely to experience online racism. This included racist zoombombing, discriminatory responses to COVID-19-related posts, and the spread of anti-Asian sentiment on social media platforms.
Even before the pandemic, Asian Australians faced racial discrimination and abuse. A 2020 survey by the Lowy Institute found that 18% of Chinese Australian respondents had experienced racial discrimination in the previous year. South-Sudanese communities in Melbourne reported escalating racial abuse and police profiling during a period of intense media coverage of "African Gangs."
The Australian government has been accused of implementing racist policies and contributing to discriminatory community attitudes. For example, the 1948 Nationality and Citizenship Act, which created Australian citizenship, was implemented in a context of colonial government policies and public opinions that treated Aboriginal peoples as inferior. More recently, police raids on Palm Island in 2016 were found to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, with courts determining that the actions were "racist" and "unnecessary."
In conclusion, while racism exists in various forms in Australia, Asian Australians have been particularly targeted by racial abuse and discrimination, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. These incidents reflect deeper-seated racist sentiments within Australian society, which have been exacerbated by polarising media and political rhetoric. Addressing this issue requires acknowledging the problem, implementing preventive measures, and promoting cultural diversity and inclusion.
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Xenophobic exclusion and other forms of religious and ethnic discrimination
Australia has a history of racist government policies and community attitudes, particularly towards Indigenous Australians. Since 2007, racist government policies have included the Northern Territory Intervention, which failed to produce a single child abuse conviction, cashless welfare cards trialled in Aboriginal communities, and the Community Development Program, which has fined Indigenous participants at a much higher rate than non-Indigenous participants.
Racism in Australia is commonplace and normalised, affecting almost every part of a person's daily life, according to a report by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). The report, titled "An Anti-Racism Framework: Experiences and Perspectives of Multicultural Australia", found that racism is often experienced simultaneously with other forms of discrimination, such as disability or sex discrimination, and is prevalent in schools, workplaces, public spaces, and when dealing with authorities.
In terms of xenophobic exclusion and other forms of religious and ethnic discrimination, Australia has been identified as a clear example of the recent rise of socially-based discrimination against religious minorities in Western democracies, especially against Jews and Muslims. Jews, in particular, have been the victims of numerous instances of vandalism, harassment, and threats of violence each year. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry warned of a steep rise in antisemitic incidents in the country.
While the Australian government has recognised the need to protect religious freedom and address discrimination, the implementation of effective measures is still ongoing. The government appointed an Expert Panel into Religious Freedom in 2017, which provided a report with 20 recommendations to enhance the protection of religious freedom. The government accepted 15 of these recommendations, and the Religious Discrimination Bill and associated legislation were introduced to prohibit discrimination based on religious belief or activity and create the office of the Religious Discrimination Commissioner within the AHRC.
However, religious discrimination remains a concern in Australia, and the country is not immune to the global rise of such discrimination. The protection against religious discrimination varies across Australian jurisdictions, and while some laws protect individuals based on "ethno-religious" origin, many people of faith are left unprotected.
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Racist attitudes towards Aboriginal Australians by police
Australia has a long history of racism towards its Indigenous population, including Aboriginal Australians. While the country has made some efforts to address this issue, racist attitudes and behaviours persist, particularly within the police force.
Aboriginal Australians have faced severe restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedoms, as well as genocide, forced removals, massacres, and ongoing discrimination. Racist government policies and community attitudes towards Aboriginal people have been documented and persist in the present day.
Racist attitudes and behaviours exhibited by the police towards Aboriginal Australians are a significant issue. There is a deep-seated mistrust of the police among Aboriginal communities, stemming from a history of violence, racism, incarceration, and deaths in custody. Aboriginal people are overrepresented in Australia's prison population, comprising slightly more than 3% of the general population but making up 28% of the adult prison population and over 50% of juvenile detainees. This overrepresentation is a marker of institutional racism within Australian society.
Police violence and discrimination against Aboriginal people have been well-documented. In 2016, police raids and behaviour on Palm Island following a death in custody were found to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. The court determined that the raids were "racist" and "unnecessary, disproportionate," and that police acted in these ways because they were dealing with an Aboriginal community. This incident resulted in a record class-action settlement of $30 million awarded to the victims in May 2018.
Racist attitudes and behaviours by police towards Aboriginal people are also evident in their daily interactions. Aboriginal people, including children, have reported being routinely targeted and harassed by the police. They are often rounded up without any reason, handcuffed as a form of punishment, and subjected to strip searches. Additionally, Aboriginal people have reported being provoked by police officers using racist language. These experiences have been reflected in artistic works, such as Aboriginal artist Tony Albert's piece "We Can Be Heroes 2013-14," which depicts the daily experiences of Aboriginal boys being followed and watched by the police.
While there have been some attempts to address these issues, such as the 2018 apology issued by the Western Australian police commissioner, Chris Dawson, for "past wrongful actions", the problem of racist attitudes and behaviours by police towards Aboriginal Australians persists. Aboriginal police officers themselves are not exempt from experiencing racism from their colleagues, as evidenced by the experiences of Inspector Geoff Regan, who endured "shocking racism" during his 27-year career.
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Racist immigration and naturalisation laws
Australia has a long history of racist immigration policies and laws that have targeted and discriminated against people of colour, particularly those of Asian descent.
The White Australia Policy
The White Australia Policy was a set of laws and policies that aimed to maintain a predominantly white population in Australia and prevent non-white immigration. It was established in 1901 with the Immigration Restriction Act, which required all migrants who were not from Europe to sit for a dictation test in a European language chosen by the immigration officer. This test was designed to be failed, and very few non-white migrants were allowed to pass. The White Australia Policy was enforced through various discriminatory laws and practices, including the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901, which facilitated the deportation of Pacific Island workers, and the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902, which gave women the vote but allowed states to restrict the voting rights of Indigenous Australians.
Relaxation and End of the White Australia Policy
After World War II, the Chifley government began to relax the White Australia Policy, allowing refugees from continental Europe, including the "beautiful Balts," to immigrate to Australia. This was the first step towards the gradual dismantling of the policy, which was officially ended in the 1970s by the Whitlam Labor government. In 1973, the government implemented a series of amendments that prevented the enforcement of racial aspects of immigration law, making all migrants, regardless of origin, eligible for citizenship after three years of permanent residence.
Racist Naturalisation Laws
Even before the formal establishment of the White Australia Policy, colonial legislation in Australia exhibited racist tendencies, particularly towards Chinese migrants. Chinese migrants were charged fees for entry or residence in the colonies and were banned from naturalising as British subjects. Asian and African applicants seeking to become subjects were required to have lived in the colony for three years, be married, and live together with their wives.
Ongoing Racism in Immigration and Naturalisation
While Australia has made significant progress in addressing racist immigration and naturalisation laws, racism remains prevalent in other areas of society. Reports from the Australian Human Rights Commission reveal that racism is commonplace and normalised in Australia, affecting people's daily lives in schools, workplaces, and public spaces. Indigenous Australians continue to face discrimination and harassment, and government institutions have been criticised for their racist treatment of Aboriginal communities.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Australia is a racist country. This is evidenced by the country's history of racist government policies, public opinion, and community attitudes towards Aboriginal people and other racialized groups.
Australia has a history of racist government policies targeting Indigenous Australians, including the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948, which created an Australian citizenship that co-existed with the status of British subject. Aboriginal people became Australian citizens under this Act, but they were not counted in the Australian population until after the 1967 referendum. During World War II, ethnic Japanese and Taiwanese Australians were interned in camps due to anti-espionage/collaboration policies enforced by the Australian government.
Racism seeps into almost every aspect of people's lives in Australia, including schools, workplaces, public spaces, and communities. Surveys and reports have found high rates of racial discrimination and abuse faced by Indigenous Australians, Asian Australians, and those from non-Anglo backgrounds in these settings.
Indigenous Australians, comprising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, have faced severe restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedoms due to racism. They have suffered genocide, forced removals, massacres, and continue to experience discrimination and racist government policies. Racism towards Indigenous Australians has been systemic and entrenched in society, affecting their access to opportunities, basic needs, services, and justice.
There have been calls for a comprehensive anti-racism strategy and a national anti-racism framework in Australia. The Australian Human Rights Commission has conducted consultations and surveys to inform the National Anti-Racism Framework, which aims to create a safe and inclusive environment for all Australians. Public and private institutions are also urged to implement policies to address racism and introduce mandatory anti-racism training.
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