Powerful anti-racism message comes to a screen near you

Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane has brought the anti-racism message home, launching a set of advertisements for broadcast on national TV and for streaming to millions of desktop computers and hand-held devices around the country.

The campaign depicts casual racism in the workplace and the provision of goods and services.

“Independent research has found that racist incidents frequently occur at work and while people are doing everyday things such as catching a bus, riding a train, or flagging a taxi,” Dr Soutphommasane said.

“We know, too, that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with an African background experience extremely high levels of racial discrimination.

“The Scanlon Foundation’s Australians Today survey, for example, found 54% of respondents with an African background and 59% of Indigenous respondents experienced racial discrimination in the previous 12 months.

“At the Commission, 54% of Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) complaints received in 2015-16 were made by Indigenous Australians and a large number of complaints related to employment.

“These everyday and often casual expressions of racism are unacceptable,” Commissioner Soutphommasane said.

“We have developed these Community Service Announcements because we want to raise awareness of everyday racism and its impact. We want to get people thinking about what they can do to help put a stop to racism.

“We hope this campaign helps create a culture where people are able to identify racism and have the confidence and tools to act appropriately and safely when it does occur.”

Free-to-air television networks will screen the Commission’s Community Service Announcements (CSA) for the next two months.

At the same time, the Commission will stream the CSAs to social media, hand-held devices and desktop computers from its Racism It Stops With Me campaign website.

More than 410 organisations have been involved in the Commission’s anti-racism campaign since it commenced in 2012. The campaign encourages all Australians to take a stand against racism wherever it happens.

Media contacts: Sarah Bamford for Dr Tim Soutphommasane. M: 0417 957 525 E: sarah.bamford@humanrights.gov.au

Also available: Factsheet on the CSAs