Standing in solidarity with those who experience racism

21 March 2024

Racism, xenophobia and intolerance exist in all societies, everywhere – and these behaviours don’t just harm individuals and communities who endure them, but our broader community. Racism can take the form of microaggressions and casual racism, or include bullying, harassment, unfair treatment, verbal abuse or violence.

While the United Nations frames the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination around recognition, justice and progress towards equality, in recent decades some organisations have observed this day as Harmony Day, focused more on inclusion and belonging. However, many First Nations groups and multicultural and multifaith communities have voiced concern that this ‘harmony’ framing masks the lived reality of those who navigate structural and systemic racism.

At the Commission, discrimination and vilification on the basis of racial or religious belief are consistently among the most common issues we hear about through the complaints we receive. In the last three years, we received 707 complaints related to racial and religious discrimination and vilification. These accounted for 10 per cent of all complaints received during this period.

Of the complaints we received about racial and religious discrimination:

• 4 in 10 incidents occurred in the workplace
• a third related to provision of goods and services
• a further 13 per cent occurred in education.

Victoria is enriched by the diversity of our community, with Victorians coming from more than 200 countries, speaking 260 languages, and observing 135 faith traditions, according to the Victorian Multicultural Commission. Victoria’s equality laws – the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 and the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 – protect individuals from discrimination and vilification on the basis of race or religion, and the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities assures equality before the law for all Victorians and protects cultural rights and freedom of thought, conscience and belief, among 20 fundamental rights.

Recognising the persistence of racial and religious discrimination and vilification, we have a number of projects underway to address these issues:

• We are researching evidence-based approaches for preventing racial and religious hate, in response to the 2019 Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-vilification Protections.
• We are looking at community-based approaches for helping multicultural and multifaith communities to understand their rights and report experiences of racism.
• We are developing an equal opportunity practice guideline on racial discrimination in the workplace, to help employers prevent and respond to racism if it occurs, in line with Victoria’s Anti-Racism Strategy.
• We are developing an education program for complaint-handling bodies to help them identify and address experiences of racism within the complaints they receive.
• We are facilitating Bigger Than This, a pilot project for secondary schools that aims to reduce race-based discrimination and improve the health and wellbeing of racially diverse young people, delivered in partnership with VicHealth.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is an opportunity to meaningfully acknowledge the impact of racism on individuals and communities, question the various ways racism shapes our society, and renew our commitment to anti-racism.

If you or someone you know has experienced racial or religious discrimination or vilification, we can help. Contact our Enquiry Line on 1300 292 153 for more information about your rights and how you can make a complaint. To find an interpreter and get help in your language, please contact 1300 152 494.

You can also read more about racial and religious rights, our tailored services for First Nations people and our recent anti-racism initiatives. Translated information is available in Arabic, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Somali, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Urdu and Vietnamese.