A government inquiry into racism towards First Peoples should also cover racism against First Nations people in the workplace.
The call from the University of Technology Sydney's Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW) follows the announcement this week of the inquiry — to be undertaken by the Labor-dominated Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs — into racism, hate and violence directed at First Nations people.
Coming just over a month after an alleged terror attack targeting Indigenous people and allies at an Invasion Day rally in Perth on January 26, it will investigate the nature, scale and impact of racism, hate and violence directed at Indigenous people.
This includes examining systemic racism, the influence of online platforms, and measures designed to prevent and respond to discrimination, the government says.
Welcoming the announcement, CIPW Director Professor Nareen Young said the inquiry should closely examine racism faced by Indigenous people in workplaces, arguing it remains "stubbornly prevalent".
She said CIPW research suggests that without legislative and policy changes, the current trajectory means it could take up to 118 years for Indigenous workers to "never hear racial slurs and jokes at work".
"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," she said.
CIPW will provide the committee with Gari Yala 2, its research into workplace racism experienced by First Nations people.
The recently released Call It Out Annual Report — a collaboration between the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research and the National Justice Project — found workplaces are the second most common setting where racism occurs.
Reports of negative attitudes and stereotyping, bullying and intimidation, discriminatory laws, policies and practices, breaches of cultural rights, and shunning and exclusion were all frequently cited by people reporting racism at work.
The inquiry will also assess the risks posed by ideologically motivated extremism, examine how intelligence and law enforcement agencies work to protect communities from those threats, and review initiatives aimed at reducing the individual and collective harm caused by racism, hatred and violence against First Peoples.
Professor Young said Senator Jana Stewart was well-placed to lead it, noting her position is "consistent with every recommendation of the CIPW that 'Indigenous work' should be carried out by Indigenous people in Australian workplaces".
In a statement this week, Senator Stewart said First Nations people in Australia "deserve to live free from racism, hate and violence."
"This inquiry is an important opportunity to understand the nature, prevalence and impact of racism in our communities and to identify practical actions for combatting racism and reducing individual and collective harm," the Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba woman said.
"If we are serious about community safety, we must confront the environment in which hatred grows."
