Government departments, including Social Services and Aged Care, will appear before a Senate inquiry into racism directed at First Nations people on Friday in Canberra, as evidence continues to mount that racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remains systemic, widespread and harmful across Australian society.
The Senate inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people — chaired by Senator Jana Stewart — has received hundreds of submissions from government agencies, academics, legal groups and Indigenous organisations.
Many point to evidence showing racism continues to affect First Nations people across health, education, employment, housing and the justice system.
It comes despite some conservative commentators continuing to downplay the impact of racism, and a near invisibility in the media when it comes to racism perpetuated on First Nations people.
Calls for Coordinated Reform
In its submission, the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) pointed to a number of recent incidents — including the alleged terror attack in Boorloo on January 26, the alleged attacks on Camp Sovereignty by neo-Nazis last year, and the booing of Elders delivering a Welcome to Country on Anzac Day — as examples of racism that "underscore the need for this inquiry".
"The submissions received by the Committee present a compelling and confronting account of racism experienced across health, education, justice, employment and public life," NIAA chief executive Julie-Ann Guivarra submitted.
"Collectively, they point to deeply embedded structures and practices that require sustained, coordinated reform."
Despite the volume of evidence presented to the inquiry, the issue remains politically contested, with culture war arguments often dominating public debate.
Some conservative politicians and media commentators have questioned the prevalence of racism experienced by Indigenous Australians, compared it to racism directed at other groups, or argued that incidents are isolated rather than systemic.
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The alleged attacks on Camp Sovereignty by neo-Nazis in August last year received little to no coverage in numerous major city mastheads across the country, whilst it took days for mainstream media to cover in any detail the alleged terror attack in on January 26 in Perth — the first such charge in Western Australia's history.
However, evidence submitted to the inquiry suggests many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience racism in their daily lives, with several studies indicating reported experiences of discrimination have increased in recent years.
The 2024 Australian Reconciliation Barometer found 54 per cent of First Nations respondents reported experiencing racism in 2024, up from 39 per cent in 2014.
Meanwhile, ANU's 2021 Prevalence of Everyday Discrimination and Relation with Wellbeing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adults in Australia study found "consistent links between discrimination and a broad range of negative health outcomes".
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Long-term impacts starting from a young age
The Department of Social Services (DSS) noted racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is having significant long-term impacts on children, families and communities.
Experiences of racism, discrimination and prejudice become more common as First Nations children age, the DSS submitted, arguing it has "clear and cumulative impacts across health, wellbeing, education and longer-term life outcomes".
Data collected between 2008 and 2021 found parent-reported experiences of racism affecting children rose from five per cent in the early school years to eight per cent in adolescence, while the proportion of families reporting racism "never" or "hardly ever" fell from around 68 per cent to 51 per cent over the same period.
"Evidence shows that experiences of racism are associated with poorer social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing, lower academic achievement, and higher health and risk behaviours, with earlier exposure linked to more serious and enduring harms," DSS submitted.
Online Racism Under the Spotlight
The First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group told the inquiry that racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is systemic and deeply embedded in online environments, arguing digital spaces have become one of the primary places where racism is created, amplified and experienced.
Research cited by the group found 68 per cent of First Nations children have experienced hurtful or nasty treatment online, compared with a national average of 45 per cent. First Nations children are also almost three times more likely to experience online hate speech, while around three in ten have received offensive comments because of their personal characteristics, compared with one in ten children overall.
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The group submitted that online racism intensified following the 2023 Voice referendum, with First Nations journalists, presenters, leaders and public figures frequently subjected to racial slurs, coordinated online harassment, abuse and attempts to delegitimise Indigenous expertise.
"Racism toward First Nations people has shifted significantly into online environments, where anonymity, scale and algorithms increase harm," the group submitted.
"Social media platforms accelerate reach, repetition and normalisation meaning the harm that once may have stayed local can now be scaled nationally in minutes, often with very little editorial control or accountability."
The advisory group argued the distinction between online and offline racism is often blurred, particularly in regional and remote communities, where people targeted online continue to live, work and lead within the same communities.
As a result, online abuse can have cumulative personal, family and community impacts.
National Indigenous Times is forced to moderate racism on its social media feed daily, with many of the offending accounts remaining active despite being reported. However, this masthead was suspended by Meta (owner of Instagram and Facebook) for 72 hours earlier this year for reporting verbatim on the abuse faced by a 13-year-old Aboriginal girl.
"When stories like this are silenced, it doesn't just impact one post; it impacts the visibility of lived experiences that deserve to be heard and understood," a social media post from National Indigenous Times said at the time.
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Health Impacts and Cultural Safety
In its submission, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is increasing and continues to have significant impacts on health, wellbeing and access to healthcare.
Drawing on data from ANU's Yardhura Walani National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, the department said racism remained pervasive before, during and after the Voice referendum and coincided with declines across a range of wellbeing indicators, including increased psychological distress, higher rates of anxiety, lower levels of happiness and life satisfaction, reduced feelings of acceptance and declining self-reported health.
The department also acknowledged racism in healthcare remains a "known and continuing risk of harm" for First Nations people, arguing systemic and institutional racism continues to be embedded within healthcare structures, policies and practices, contributing to unequal access to services and poorer health outcomes.
"Embedding cultural safety into everyday systems and process within health services will reorient healthcare delivery to focus on models, practices and approaches that respect and prioritise First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing," the department submitted.
"It will also help contribute to the elimination of racism and the delivery of better health outcomes for First Nations people."
Government departments and agencies are expected to elaborate on their submissions when they appear before the inquiry in Canberra on Friday.
