Listening to people's experiences of racism is how we build a stronger Australia
Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman explains why tackling racism is essential to building a fairer, safer and more cohesive Australia.
Opinion piece summary
The Race Discrimination Commissioner had a letter to the Australian Financial Review published, arguing that addressing racism is essential to building a fair, safe and cohesive Australia, and outlining how the National Anti-Racism Framework provides a practical roadmap for change.
- Author: Race Discrimination Commissioner
- Published in: The Australian Financial Review
- Publish date: 10 September 2026
Summary
- Racism continues to affect people's safety, wellbeing and sense of belonging across Australia, with evidence showing its impacts are widespread and enduring.
- The National Anti-Racism Framework provides a practical roadmap to address racism through better data, education, accountability and community participation.
- Building a stronger, more cohesive Australia means listening to people's experiences of racism and taking action to remove barriers to inclusion and opportunity.
Most Australians want the same things: to feel safe in our communities, to be treated with respect and to have a fair chance to participate and contribute. We want our children to learn in schools where they belong, we want our workplaces to value and respect people and their skills, and we want our communities to bring us together. This is the Australia we should keep building.
Unfortunately, the long endured and growing prevalence of racism in our country means that many people don’t feel safe, don’t get equal opportunity and don’t feel like they belong. These are the experiences not just of many people who have arrived recently in Australia but of people who have lived their whole lives in this country, as well as their parents before them. For some communities, it has been an issue across generations; for First Peoples, across centuries.
Some commentary – including in this masthead – suggests racism is overstated or misunderstood, and that efforts to address it create division. The evidence tells a different story. Australians continue to report experiences of racism that affect their safety, wellbeing and sense of belonging at a scale and severity that warrants urgent action.
Australia is currently conducting a Royal Commission into antisemitism and social cohesion as well as a Senate inquiry into racism experienced by First Peoples. The evidence being given by ordinary Australians at these hearings clearly shows that communities across our country are deeply troubled by the impact of racism.
Indeed, the Royal Commission has heard extensive evidence that prejudice, racism, self-censorship and declining trust are all factors undermining community cohesion. Witnesses did not argue that racism should be ignored to foster unity. Rather, they repeatedly highlighted the importance of stronger inclusion, participation, education and systemic change.
These are some of the guiding principles of the National Anti-Racism Framework, a roadmap for addressing racism in Australia developed by my team at the Australian Human Rights Commission. The Framework is widely supported across the community and civil society sectors, and a national anti-racism strategy was endorsed by the Australian Labor Party at their recent national conference. The momentum gathering behind a comprehensive approach to addressing racism is encouraging.
My job as Race Discrimination Commissioner is to advocate for solutions to address racism in Australia. The solutions presented in the Framework are informed by extensive research and consultation with government agencies, business, academics, experts and communities across the country.
Through consultations for the Framework as well as for our recent Seen & Heard and Racism@Uni projects, the Commission has also heard directly from tens of thousands of First Peoples, Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian, Arab, African, Asian and Pasifika Australians as well as people from many other communities.
While their experiences differ contextually, they are remarkably consistent in terms of the impact of racism and how it excludes, stereotypes, discriminates, creates fear and a lack of belonging. This is the reality of racism, and, consequently, the awful truth for the many thousands of people who have contributed over the last few years to our understanding of it here in Australia.
Do we need more research to better understand the nature and prevalence of racism so we can address it more effectively? Absolutely, and that’s an important recommendation of the Framework. Should we monitor and evaluate anti-racism initiatives? Again, absolutely, and again, this is a recommendation of the Framework. By implementing the Framework’s recommendations, including our evaluation recommendation, we will be building the evidence base around what works to address racism and build fairer, more inclusive communities across our country.
The Framework provides a clear and achievable way forward with recommendations for reforms across our government, justice, health, education and media sectors. It is built on a simple idea: if we want a fair and cohesive society, we need to understand and remove the barriers that prevent people from fully participating in it.
The Framework offers practical ways forward, including better data, stronger accountability, education, community engagement and early intervention. These are not abstract goals. They are steps towards an Australia where everyone can contribute, belong and thrive.
Australia's diversity is one of our greatest strengths. When people tell us they are experiencing racism, we need to listen, learn and act. That is how we build a stronger, fairer and more unified Australia for everyone.
About Race Discrimination Commissioner
Giridharan Sivaraman
Race Discrimination Commissioner
Media contact
Email: media@humanrights.gov.au or phone: 0457 281 897
