Melbourne Community Consultation Report
Racism and civil society: A community consultation held at the YWCA Conference Centre, Melbourne Victoria, on 5 July 2001
Speakers:
- Dr Diane Sisely,
Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission
- Joy Murphy, Welcome
to Country
- Keith Hamilton,
Victorian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
- Dr William Jonas,
Race Discrimination Commissioner and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Social Justice Commissioner, HREOC
- Marion Hansen,
Commissioner, ATSIC
- George Lekakis,
Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria
- Amrita Dasvarma,
Women's Rights Action Network Australia (WRANA)
- Benseon Apple, B'nai B'rith Anti Defamation Commission
Theme 2: Victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Theme 1: Sources, causes, forms and contemporary manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
All workshop participants were in agreement that racism exists throughout metropolitan, regional and rural Victoria.
Racist attitudes are inherent in Australian society and it was thought that this was primarily due to the nation being established under a colonial and paternalistic model. This imperialist paternalism manifests itself in areas like government, school curricula and other institutions.
Racism is both conscious
and subconscious. It is ingrained and can only be corrected by a conscious
effort.
Experiences of racism
Some participants talked about how Aboriginal people experience racism through nearly every aspect of their lives: in the education system, the areas of health and housing sectors, and the employment sector, Indigenous Australians are stereotyped and pigeonholed. Even when very well educated, Indigenous people still face discrimination and stereotyping.
In the criminal justice system Indigenous people are over-represented. They often appear in the courts, without understanding why they have been charged with a particular offence. This is especially so for people from the more remote communities, who often do not speak English as their first language and are not offered interpreters in court. It is also often the case that lawyers and magistrates do not have any knowledge of Indigenous culture, nor have received any cultural awareness training. This only goes to exacerbating an already unacceptable situation.
One of the participants recounted how he had been subjected to verbal abuse while walking down the streets with terms such as "go home you refugee". He said that it did not affect him too much because he did not understand English. He then went on to learn English and started working as a kitchen hand in a restaurant and was discriminated against by the chef who told him to sit on another table - the chef was not an Anglo Australian but a German immigrant himself - this hurt even more.
The delegates outlined a range of examples of racism including:
- Threats of physical
violence from groups of young drunk Anglo men who said that they only
wanted "Australians" here.
- The regular portrayal of stereotyped imagery in television advertising, for example, recruitment for Victoria Police and the Australian Defence Forces only include two people who are not easily identified as Anglo. This contrasts strongly with the images of the Australian forces that went to East Timor where it was obvious to any observer that the troops were made up of Australians from a wide range of backgrounds. We feel excluded and not accepted as part of Australia thus we withdraw.
Many delegates expressed their concern that there was still an attitude of defining people as others or not real Australians based on their appearance and backgrounds. However, the impact of this was not uniform and there were differences in the extent and manifestations of racism at the local level. An example was given of how in the Greater Dandenong area there was great cultural diversity in terms of the demographic mix and there Muslim women feel safe in walking down the streets as there are very few acts of discrimination. This in contrast to Shepparton where the demographic make up is more uniform and there is a notable increase in the acts of discrimination against Muslim women and other "visible minorities".
Women from all backgrounds, but especially those from Indigenous and non-English speaking backgrounds, find it difficult at times to speak out. The patriarchal structure of society has made it very difficult for some women to be heard and in some cultures absolutely discredits anything they may have to say.
For younger people from non-English speaking backgrounds there is a lot of pressure to conform, assimilate. The pressure manifests by discriminating against those that look and speak differently, therefore younger people feel the need to dress and speak in a certain manner to fit in. However one participant questioned whether this was a generational thing rather than cultural assimilation, another claimed that the two are one in the same.
One Aboriginal participant spoke of being placed under great pressure at school to "prove herself" in relation to her white classmates. She felt the only way she could prove herself as an Aboriginal student was by achieving consistently higher marks than her peers.
Other participants discussed incidences of racism in sport, including Aboriginal students being passed over for selection to teams despite their high level of performance. Coaches and players using racial vilification as a form of sledging to gain advantage in the game.
The discussions started off with a number of reasons and factors that contribute to racism and related forms of intolerance. Some participants suggested that ignorance and fear were the root cause of racism. Others, while not disagreeing, added that stereotyping and exclusion were also causes. Other participants pointed to the education system and the teaching curriculum as a source of racial discrimination.
A few of the participants talked about how denying someone's history, denying a nation's history has powerful and dire consequences. The denial of history is the attempted oppression of whole group of people.
The workshop participants maintained that one of the main factors was the issue of power and hierarchy within society. This manifested itself in the way that "mainstream" institutions operated and delivered services, like schools, hospitals and other government services. They are based on specific cultural models and are managed by people from particular backgrounds or have accepted the prevailing models. Some participants believed that patriarchal structures are still healthily maintained and are a root cause of power concentrations.
The issue of how the exclusion from power is one of the key factors of racism was recounted through the personal experience of a delegate who said that in Germany where the "guest workers" were accepted and seen as making a vital contribution to economic development. As soon as the children of the "guest workers" started to ask for access to all spheres of German social, political and economic life they were met with strong opposition and exclusion.
Fear and ignorance were also identified as factors underlying racism. This is demonstrated and reinforced through the media and other sources which continue to disseminate stereotyping. The lack of exposure to different representations of cultural diversity in the media also contributes to ignorance, which in turn can lead to fear or an inability to deal with people from backgrounds other than the dominant norm.
The "othering" of people who are seen as not fitting the mould of a so-called typical Australian is another example of this. Participants discussed how looking or sounding different to the "norm" i.e. Anglo-Celtic often leads to being discriminated against, sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly.
There was a discussion about racism as a manifestation of oppression, which is a result of the fear and greed felt by the oppressors. If there is to be an end to oppression then we need to ask what does the dominant group have to give up in order to stop practicing racism and other forms of oppression such as sexism? The dominant group would have to give up its stranglehold on power.
The workplace is a common place where the dominant culture continues in its oppression of the 'other'. One example given was the attempt to diminish the place of women in society. It was pointed out that while women generally are accused of being emotional (especially in the workplace), women from particular ethnic backgrounds are also considered prone to emotional and hysterical outbursts. This has the effect of invalidating women's voices and for some, it silences. Some participants spoke about the institutionalised barriers that people from Indigenous or non-English speaking backgrounds have to face.
One participant spoke of the frustration at finding employment. Although very well qualified and experienced, she would not even reach interview stage. She was convinced that because of her second name, which is obviously non Anglo-Celtic, she was being dismissed at the application culling stage. At other times people had not recognised her post-graduate university qualifications, while less qualified people had obtained the position she sought.
This has led to many
people, both women and men, from culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds having to accept work that they are often over-qualified for.
It is often the refugees and migrants who have to take jobs that are poorly
paid and dangerous. The percentage of outworkers from migrant backgrounds
is astounding. It was declared by a number of delegates that until there
is economic and social justice for all members of the community, racism
would continue to exist.
Delegates also singled out the lack of political leadership in clearly
articulating and implementing anti-racist measures as a key source of
racism in Australia today. This is evident in the manner in which we are
witnessing a demonising of refugees and asylum seekers. It must be remembered
that over 80% of the asylum seekers will be assessed as refugees and be
given a temporary protection visa to stay in Australia. These people then
find themselves in society and have to overcome the prejudices and stereotypes
that have been constructed around them as being "queue jumpers"
and less deserving of our assistance.
The workshop participants maintained that there are different forms of racism with local and regional factors, which need to be considered. For example, in some areas where there has been a minor presence of people from diverse backgrounds there is a tendency for more entrenched racist attitudes and practices to take place.
They also canvassed the idea that racism at a conceptual level can be divided into two streams: ideological and populist. The first one is based on articulated concepts of racial superiority or strong elements of xenophobia as a response to economic uncertainty and related social dislocation. The populist stream is one based on stereotyping and scapegoating.
The perpetration of racism was not the sole domain of one group. Some of the delegates recounted their personal experience of coming to Australia as young immigrants and suffering racism and exclusion. They now find themselves having to combat against the racist attitudes within their own community to members of more newly arrived communities and Indigenous Australians.
Most participants agreed that the key aspect of racism is that of our colonialist history, and the denial of Indigenous peoples' history and the disregard of the contributions of Indigenous people to the development of this country. We can learn from this denialism, and while regretting that we have not become a richer country for not embracing this shared history sooner, we can embrace it now.
There are many aspects of the recent Reconciliation movement that were positive. But it needs to take a further step in terms of being open about the real history of this nation. There was acknowledgement that there was some significant increase in the recognition of the importance and symbolism of the Aboriginal flag. This was seen as a sign of greater willingness by the broader Australian public to accept the sovereignty of Aboriginal peoples. If only this recognition could be acknowledged at a political level.
Some participants pointed to the White Australia Policy as an example of how colonialism attempted to keep the nation a white European enclave. Colonialism is a defining characteristic of the Australian state and its institutions and we need to address the negative results of colonialism and imperialism before we can move forward.
Delegates were of the view that we should learn from the people who have dealt with and combated racism through positive local actions. Such as inter faith and intercultural initiatives undertaken in the 1970s by some local Councils and communities.
The group recognised the multicultural nature of Australia as a positive that we should build upon and not to accept the growing view that diversity had a negative impact on the nation.
The workshop participants identified the lack of cross party support and commitment to anti-racism strategies as a negative. This demonstrates that we have not learnt from our past experiences. Political leadership needs to be shown on such issues, otherwise we run the risk of falling back into more entrenched and systemic racism.
However, some participants pointed the increasing participation of youth in Australian public life. This is certainly an achievement we can build. By recognising the perspectives and contributions of youth from Indigenous and migrant backgrounds, policy issues are better informed and will be more inclusive of the broader community.
It was also noted the recent achievements by the Victorian Police force by encouraging greater diversity by recruiting trainees from a greater range of backgrounds.
Aboriginal kids need to be taught in an Indigenous format. If English is not their first language, then their first language needs to be encouraged as well as English.
Many participants demanded that the government needs to abolish mandatory sentencing, as it does not benefit the community, nor does it deter crime. Mandatory sentencing was declared a racist tactic that purposefully targets Aboriginal people.
Theme 2: Victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
The delegates agreed that we all suffer from the consequences of racism and to some extent we are all perpetrators of racism.
The main victims of racism in Victoria were Indigenous peoples, asylum seekers and people from "visible ethnic minorities" in particular Arab, Muslim, African and Jewish community members. But some Indigenous participants said that Indigenous people experience racism differently from others in the community.
Some participants also noted that Indigenous people also faced added discrimination on the grounds of their skin colour. People who were labelled as fair skinned Aboriginals faced additional stereotyping as half-castes or as people who claimed their Aboriginality only to obtain a form of preferential treatment.
It was noted that it is necessary to be clear about the distinct experiences and forms of racism suffered by migrants and Indigenous peoples. The workshop participants maintained that there is not a "single" racism and that there were diverse forms and manifestations experienced by people in every day life and systemically in society. These ranged from daily instances of being denied services and goods, to being excluded from economic opportunities due to historical discriminatory practices and being subjected to mass media stereotyping of their communities.
A number of delegates raised the issue of stereotyping and creation of myths such as the Arab mentality (one of violence and extremism), the "Palestinian terrorist", or the repressed Muslim woman as having an effect on their every day life. They can walk into a shop and everything is fine, then when someone asks them where they are from and they say, for example, "Palestine", you can see the change in the shopkeeper's approach and body language.
Another issue that was raised was that of the label of racist being used as a means of silencing or marginalizing someone. An example was given of Arab community members being labelled anti-Semitic if they raised issues relating to the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
One participant gave the example of a young people in a juvenile detention centre. A group of Koori youth had formed what could be termed as a gang, formed from perceived sense of belonging and mutual protection. A mixed group of Asian and European background youth had formed in response, as they felt threatened by the strength and solidarity expressed by the Koori gang. This is an example of the way young people often, especially in a particular kind of environment, feel the need to form a cohesive group along racial lines, in response to broader racism in the criminal justice system.
The workshop participants were of the view that there are multi-layered levels of discrimination which people are subjected to based on a range of disadvantages. There was also a view that that we all assume a complexity of identity/ies which are not all visible and often we are labelled or "identified" by others with a singular defining feature which is not reflective of our personal identity. Therefore when there are multiple defining features the discrimination is compounded.
In considering this issue delegates expressed the view that the common terms such as a "typical Australian" or "Australian way of life" or generically "Australia is this…" have a racial, gender, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, and religious bias. For those people from a range of disadvantaged groups racism is not a separate issue but once again compounds the forms of exclusion and discrimination to which they are already subjected.
Women experience racism differently from men in that when sexism and racism converge, it is often hard to separate. One example given was that women from Asian countries, especially the Philippines and Thailand, are presumed to be prostitutes when in the company of white men.
This became problematic for some members of the group as this raised the whole issues of women in the sex industry being treated as second-class citizens. One participant shared a story with the group about a young Asian women working as a sex worker in a Melbourne brothel. She was raped and beaten by a customer because she had refused him certain sexual requests. Upon being questioned by the brothel manager about the incident the customer had said the he went to an Asian prostitute because he assumed that she would provide whatever service he wanted, he could do anything he wanted to her.
Another participant raised the issue that often groups of youths, especially if they are from a non-Anglo background are referred to in the media as 'gangs'. It is a problematic word as it connotes racial groupings, which may or may not exist.
Theme 3: Measures of prevention, education and protection aimed at the eradication of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the national, regional and international levels.
The workshop participants were of the view that all members and sectors of society have responsibility and a role to play in combating racism.
Education was seen as a key area where initiatives could be undertaken covering the whole spectrum from pre-school to life-long learning and public education campaigns.
The delegates raised the issue of exploring new models for working in childcare centres, primary and secondary schools. Anti-racism programs should not be just aimed at the students but the whole school community, including parents. It was mentioned that initiatives in childcare centres are already taking place in Victoria: the main issue is that of financial and human resources. These programs involve the parents in discussing anti-racism and cultural diversity. One of the key elements is to convince education sector staff that they do not have to approve all cultural practices of all groups but they have to accept that other people have a different way of doing things.
In regard to educational institutions the following points were canvassed:
- Citizenship courses
which are not just about civic institutions but should also cover ethics
and anti-racism issues
- The anti-racism
and diversity issues should be incorporated into all curriculum and
include diverse conceptual approaches
- The delivery mechanisms
(schools, universities, etc) are based on a particular set of cultural
values and we need to consider different models. An example was given
of an Indigenous education centre, which produces good outcomes because
it uses a learning model that is culturally appropriate to Indigenous
students.
- The experiential
learning model as a method of learning and understanding cultural awareness.
- Programs, which
include the personal experiences of young, people (16-24) who have overcome
or withstood racism within the education system.
- Increased support
for language training and English as a second language classes
- Mentoring/role
modelling programs for young people
- Employment of
more teachers from diverse backgrounds
- Inclusion of local Indigenous groups and histories into school communities
Public education campaigns were seen as important. The general view was that public education campaigns need to be:
- Developed in consultation
with communities
- Adequately resourced
and be part of an on-going campaign
- Targeted to specific groups/audiences
Some delegates raised the point that all too often local councils are left out of the equation and that they are really valuable assets for resources. Often very localized projects can have a big impact, and successful programs can be duplicated and adopted by other local government areas.
The delegates also raised the need for locally based community education programs which created spaces for people to exchange stories/narratives thus increasing the space for greater understanding and mutual respect.
Public campaigns which utilised role modelling were identified as potentially effective and these could reach children, young people and aged community members. The use of high profile people has a way of adding recognition, acceptance and validity to messages. The example of the footballers and homophobia campaign in Sydney was seen as good example of how such campaigns could work.
All these programs
should be aimed at all communities including recently arrived communities
to address any of the racist views which they may also hold.
In terms of employment the delegates agreed that there needed to be pro-active
affirmative action programs to address unemployment and under employment.
The examples of highly qualified people working in jobs where they could
not utilise their skills and experience has a negative impact on the individual
in terms of self esteem etc, and also is a loss for Australia which does
not reap the benefits of the human and social capital that many migrants,
refugees and asylum seekers bring with them.
The media was an area where the delegates saw a necessity to have government, industry and the community work together to develop more effective codes of conduct and monitoring in the way they represent and reproduce racial stereotypes. This should also include "ethnic" media which is not devoid of racism and stereotyping.
There were also proposals for the Press Council to include non-media representatives in their hearings and also to establish a cultural diversity reference/advisory committee which includes community representatives. Delegates also canvassed the idea that there needs to be a program which increases the spaces for marginalised voices to have access to mass media so that there viewpoints can be heard.
Some participants thought it was also important for any program or policy to be mindful of the language they employ. All too often the language of legislation and programs are negative. Even in this forum, it was pointed out, the language is aggressive and negative, using words like challenge and combat and eradicate. The Victorian government's recently passed Racial and Religious Tolerance Act was used as an example of how language is an important tool. This Act is not the Anti-Vilification Act, although it does define vilification. Some suggested that by using the word 'tolerance' in the title it does not automatically make people defensive about their behaviour.
Concern was expressed that some NGOs receiving funding from various government sources have been warned that they are not advocates or lobbyists for the client group, but service providers only. Some have been threatened with de-funding if they are seen to cross the line and speak out and criticise government policies. Does this mean that NGOs need to start thinking of alternative sources of funding, so that they can maintain a voice for the people they work with? What is the government afraid of?
Delegates discussed the Living in Harmony program and they identified a number of positive aspects to the campaign in terms of some of the projects that had been supported such as the:
- Australian Arab
Council's video project involving young people of Arabic background
and young Indigenous people exploring the issue of land and dispossession.
- National Council of Jewish Women's religious diversity project which brought together women of diverse backgrounds to exchange experiences and identify commonalities.
However the delegates also saw a number of shortcomings in the Living in Harmony program which should serve as indicators for improving the program and any future campaigns. For example:
- It originally
took the current Commonwealth government almost three years to rename
it from the anti-racism strategy to the Living in Harmony program and
they only launched close to election time as a way of trying to re-build
some relationship with ethnic communities. This view has been reinforced
by the way the government has announced that it will increase funding
this year once again just before an election.
- The short time
allowed between the advertising for submissions and the actual closing
dates made it more difficult for smaller and less well resourced groups
to prepare strong and competitive proposals.
- The lack of advertising and promotion of the Living in Harmony program outcomes was also seen as a real issue because it was seen as losing the potential wider impact of successful projects. A number of delegates expressed the view that it reflected the lack of the government's commitment to challenging racism in the wider community by making strong statements.
The national Harmony Day was seen as a public education opportunity but it suffered from a lack of clarity in terms of what message it was trying to send out and what it was trying to achieve in terms of community education. The delegates said that the actual day was the UN declared - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and we should call it that or something similar. We need to focus on the anti-racism message.
The workshop participants identified a number of programs and activities at local government level which had achieved some success, such as:
- City of Dandenong
- Springvale Interfaith Network which has operated in various forms
since the 1970s. This brings together religious leaders and communities
and builds up a sense of understanding and community.
- The City of Dandenong was also cited as example in the way that it has created community network models which bring together people across the community and within specific communities to discuss issues affecting refugee, non-English speaking background and Aboriginal communities.
Vic Health was also mentioned as an example of conducting innovative programs. There was mention of a proposal they had for a program entitled "Hate hardens your arteries" which is a well funded and coordinated media campaign. They also have a number of community building projects which could be used as possible models for local anti-racism campaigns.
In regard to the media the Australian Arab Council national media award to a journalist for a story, which dispelled stereotypes of Arabs, was seen as a positive example of how a local community can undertake initiatives to reinforce positive aspects within the mass media.
Some of the participants however were a little less enthusiastic about initiatives and stated that if the government cannot or will not provide leadership on issues like racism and other human rights concerns, then how can the public expect business to provide leadership, what incentives are there for them? But then on a more positive note, another participant held that if business were to take the lead they could place pressure on government. It is a matter of finding new sources of influence.
A few participants raised the AFL's Anti-Vilification Code of Conduct as a good model that could be transferred not only to other sporting codes, but also to other areas of civil society. Even schools and other government sectors might learn from such an initiative.
The media also has an important role to play in correcting notions of stereotypes and the non-representation on TV of Indigenous peoples and cultural diversity.
One participant gave a positive example of a program to develop skills and find employment among one group of young migrant men in Melbourne. The program run by the Melbourne City Mission, provided training and support for young men from the Horn of Africa, to gain English skills and complete a TAFE electrical trades course. The program worked with unions, community groups and employers to support the men while they were studying and make connections upon graduation with prospective employers.
The Internet was considered to be an area of concern given the rise in racist material and its easier and wider dissemination.
The delegates identified the need to develop more effective controls on the Internet but were in agreement that this was difficult. The idea of censorship and classification of sites was raised and there was agreement that something similar to current film classifications could be introduced. However, there was concern that the decision-making bodies - censorship committees - would need to be more reflective of society at large and accommodate different cultural perspectives. The difficulty in banning or prosecuting race hate sites was discussed and the Victorian legislation was mentioned. It was agreed that it was possible to ban and prosecute material, which was housed on a Victorian server or produced in Victoria. Technically it may be possible to prosecute a site that is based in another country but which is accessible in Australia - however it was agreed that this was neither viable nor practical.
The delegates were of the view that it was most likely that it is not possible to stop the dissemination of race hate material over the Internet and that the most effective approach is to educate the community so that they will make more discerning choices about Internet material.
However a few participants pointed out that this issue does not affect many people who are disadvantaged, as they do not have computers, let alone the Internet. Some of the more remote people do not even have access to public computers, like those found in libraries. As one participant astutely observed, "people who don't have electricity don't have computers."
Another issue raised was that the Internet maintains stereotypes, because we can't see each other.
Acknowledgement and celebration
Some of the delegates were of the view that multiculturalism has provided spaces, particularly through cultural festivals, to perpetuate and reinforce stereotypes just as they have in racism dialogues. Tokenism and homogenisation of a community within a particular cultural representation are often the outcome of "celebrations" of our multicultural society. Some participants also believed that other cultures were only acknowledged when it was in order to make financial gain. The Sydney Olympic Games and the use of Indigenous emblems and cultural traditions were given as an example of this kind of exploitation.
The ultimate acknowledgment is a treaty with Australia's Indigenous people.
Theme 4: Provision of effective remedies, recourse, redress, [compensatory] [1] and other measures at the national, regional and international levels.
The delegates were of the view that generally the laws dealing with racism and racial discrimination in Australia needed improving and moved straight on to proposing changes.
One participant claimed the adequacy of laws is a matter of perception as legislation can be amended at any time, depending on the political agenda of government. For the public to have more faith in laws there needs to be greater independence of judges and commissioners.
Most participants believed that until Australian constitutionally entrenched a Bill of Rights, the current legal provisions would remain an inadequate tool to deal with human rights breaches.
There was general agreement that there was a need for stronger compliance measures to ensure enforceability, including the possibility of criminal sanctions.
The workshop participants made a range of proposals regarding the legal framework for dealing with racism. These included:
- That we introduce
a Bill of Rights in Australia which provides guarantees against racism;
- That the Constitution
be amended to eliminate the racist clauses and embed protection from
racial discrimination within it;
- That all anti-discrimination
and equal opportunity legislation remove the exemptions for politicians,
government and public sector agencies, etc;
- That all agencies
such as HREOC and Equal Opportunity Commissions etc should have the
legislative capacity (such as in Victoria) to undertake test cases and
investigations into possible instances of systemic racism;
- That Australian
laws should use the international laws, conventions and treaties such
as CERD and the Refugee Convention as the benchmarks against which to
measure our own laws;
- That anti-discrimination laws be amended to allow complaints to address instances of systemic and institutionalised racism.
The other key issue for delegates was the access to legal redress and the lengthy process involved. Denial or restrictions on access due to economic or other grounds needed to be redressed.
Some participants proposed a human rights audit on all policy and legislation. The audit would aim to see how certain pieces of policy and legislation impact upon certain groups.
One suggestion was that the structure of the complaints procedure should be changed to allow people to lodge complains on behalf of aggrieved parties. This would provide victims of discrimination with support from their communities and families, would allow a prominent or willing individual from a community to make a complaint if the discriminatory action was directed at a whole community in a generic fashion. It would also avoid victimization, and remove the financial and emotional burden from the individual.
Other measures to ensure effective remedies
Most participants agreed that Government and other related institutions like HREOC need to analyse how they consult and with whom they consult. There are many people in the community who feel that have no voice and the supposed representatives in fact do not represent them.
There was full support from all participants that a Reparations Tribunal be established to address the claims of the Stolen Generations. To compliment the Tribunal, it was suggested that counselling services be established to deal with members of the stolen generation and their families.
It was also suggested that one way of addressing past injustices would be establish interpreter programs in the field of criminal justice and health.
Some of the delegates
thought that the reintroduction of an Affirmative Action policy would
be a positive measure.
There was general support for the abolition of the mandatory sentencing
regime in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. There was also
general support for native title to be constitutionally entrenched.
To this, there was an overwhelming consensus that Australia introduce a Constitutional Bill of Rights.
Some participant suggested there was a need for programs to promote alternative methods of conflict resolution, including the negotiation of difference and conflict, between communities.
Theme 5: Strategies to achieve full and effective equality, including international cooperation and enhancement of the United Nations and other international mechanisms in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and follow-up.
The delegates' view was that globalisation runs the risk of exacerbating the wealth divide between, and within nations, and this could reinforce racism and xenophobia. It was necessary that there was a more equitable distribution of resources so that the world community has access to the "greater wealth" which globalisation proponents say will be generated by a world economy.
There is also a need for communities to develop links and alliances across national borders and share experiences. This is necessary to develop a better understanding of international trends and the common causes of xenophobia and racism which are manifesting themselves in developed nations as globalisation moves forward.
One example given
to explain how multinational companies exploit and devastate communities
was that of BHP and the OkTedi River in Papua New Guinea. The mining project
developed by BHP held the needs of the local population in total disregard
by exploiting cheap labour supplied by local people and destroying and
polluting the land and river, the lifeblood of villages along the river.
This, claimed participants, is a racist act.
The recent controversy about rap artist Eminem was discussed as an indicator
of the tentacle-like sweep and total disregard for moral and cultural
sensitivities shown by multinational corporations. Money and profit come
before any other consideration. The freedom of speech debate is exploited
as an opportune argument by multinational corporations to close down any
objections.
Some participants also believed that the anti-globalisation movement could itself be racist in campaigns that encourage "Buy Australian". There is an inherent message in the campaigns that foreign entities threaten Australian economic well-being as well as a series of questionable assumptions about what it means to be essentially Australian.
The workshop participants were of the view that the best contribution Australia could make to international efforts to combat racism would be to establish itself as a model of best practice in terms of applying international laws at a domestic level. This would then provide Australia with some moral authority, which it is currently losing, to engage in international debates and push for positive changes at the UN level as well as in bilateral discussions.
Recommendations
1. Recognising and arising from the financial and time limitations of the regional consultations undertaken by HREOC for WCAR, we recommend that in partnership with relevant NGOs and communities, the Government and related agencies develop adequate, extensive and appropriate consultative mechanisms. The envisaged mechanism will enhance and ensure accessibility of communities to input into future policy and further that these partnerships be maintained to ensure comprehensive and ongoing evaluation of resultant policies.
2. That Australian Governments (State and Federal) commit resources to the introduction of compulsory cultural awareness training/education. This compulsory component should be introduced at all levels of educational curricula (primary, secondary, tertiary and other forms of adult education). Recognising that teachers and parents have primary responsibility for the education of children and the community, it is recommended that they be offered ongoing training and support and that the development of these education modules be undertaken within the framework of Recommendation 1.
3. That an independent audit be undertaken on government policy, legislation and practice with regard to effects and outcomes on particular groups within the community (eg. women, Indigenous, migrants, business sector) - similar to Environmental Impact Statements. Such an audit be undertaken within the framework of Recommendation 1.
4. Recognising a strong desire within the community for greater independence of Commissions and other statutory authorities, it is recommended that an independent council be established to address selection criteria and make appointments of senior positions of statutory authorities in order to eliminate political appointments.
5. Call on WCAR to recommend that UN member States be called up to develop a protocol to monitor and enforce multinational organisations' compliance of human rights obligations. Any such protocols developed must recognise the increasingly interrelated and interdependent nature of the economic and social relationship between private enterprise and States.
6. Recommend that Legal Aid Service be funded to previous levels, thus ensuring broader and more equitable access to legal assistance than is currently available.
7. That based on the positive Victorian model, all ethnic descriptors (especially in the racialisation of crime) be eliminated both at the Federal and State level.
8. That public education campaigns be developed to inform the community about the role and importance of special measures, which are necessary to achieve substantive equality.
9. That criminal sanctions be incorporated into racial discrimination and hatred legislation and that there be a strong public education campaign promoting the rights and responsibilities of the acts.
10. That human rights be enshrined in the Constitution or in a separate Bill of Rights.
11. That the Australian government be more publicly accountable and forced to respond to the recommendations of reports such as the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and Bringing Them Home.
12. That there be publicly acknowledged days of celebration for Indigenous cultures and history.
13. That there be affirmative action plans in employment requiring employers, both public and private, to hire people from minority groups.
14. That there be greater resources for ESL in the school system.
15. That there be mentoring and peer support programs in schools for Indigenous students and students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
16. That Aboriginal history and role of immigrants in Australian society be core parts of the school curriculum.
17. That there be more publicly funded research into the economic potential of diversity and multiculturalism.
18. That governments provide encouragement and incentives for immigrants to reside and work in rural and regional areas.
19. That the Commonwealth government take a clear leadership role in denouncing racial discrimination.
20. That adequate funding be provided to local community groups to address issues of racism at the ground level.
21. That research into the delivery of education be undertaken to assess how it can be made more culturally appropriate for people of diverse backgrounds.
22. Citizenship education (eg. Discovering Democracy) should include the true history of Aboriginal people, colonialism and immigration and it should be compulsory for all students.
23. That anti-racism public education campaigns be locally based, ongoing and adequately funded.
1. Note: The word compensatory was in brackets as there was no consensus among governments to include it under this theme.
