Gari Yala report finds racism against First Nations workers widespread
New research finds racism is widespread in Australian workplaces. (ABC News: Dylan Goolagong)
In short:
A new report has found almost 60 per cent of Indigenous employees experience racism in Australian workplaces.
The Gari Yala report found that, at the current rate of change, it could take 118 years before Indigenous employees never hear racial slurs and jokes at work.
What's next?
Report authors call on employers and governments to act on their findings.
On his very first day as a full-time primary school teacher, Michael Beale was confronted by a parent.
"The parent questioned me as to where the teacher was. I advised them that I was the teacher," the Wailwan man said.
"They didn't accept that … because obviously the only Aboriginal person in the room couldn't be a teacher.
"I think historically in that particular school, First Nations or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were typically either cleaners or teacher aides."
That incident stuck with Mr Beale throughout his 12-year career where he continued to experience bouts of racism from parents, colleagues and students.
Michael Beale encountered racism on his very first day as a teacher. (Supplied)
He said every time another incident occurred it took a hit to his mental health and wellbeing, but as time passed he became somewhat resistant.
"We shouldn't have to do that, and we should feel safe at work,"Mr Beale said.
Mr Beale now works for the Queensland Teachers' Union.
"It makes me feel sick to know that I've experienced as much as I have," he said.
Mr Beale is not alone. A new study has found that almost 60 per cent of Indigenous employees experience racism in Australian workplaces.
Gari Yala, meaning "speak the truth" in the Wiradjuri language, is the second Indigenous-led survey of more than 1,000 Indigenous workers conducted by the Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW) at the University of Technology Sydney.
It found the majority of Indigenous workers experienced inappropriate race-based comments and assumptions at work, and only 40 per cent considered their workplace culturally safe.
Just under half reported often hearing racial slurs or jokes about Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.
Professor Nareen Young urges employers to act on Gari Yala’s findings. (Supplied)
Director of the CIPW, Professor Nareen Young, said the report's findings should be a "wake-up call" to employers and all governments.
"At the current rate of progress it could take another 118 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers to never hear racial slurs and jokes at work," she said.
"Whatever way you think, that's simply not acceptable and employers need to address this."
'Google it'
During Mr Beale's teaching years he said it was often left to him as the Aboriginal employee to plan and mark significant days on the First Nations calendar, such as National Reconciliation Week.
"It's an expectation … that mob will actually go and organise those days, which is concerning … because reconciliation is everyone's business," he said.
At the beginning of his career Mr Beale said he struggled to say no and took on additional hours of unpaid work to meet expectations.
"That colonial load did place a huge burden on me. I'm not paid for that, so why is everyone else not being asked to do that?" he said.
Cultural load or colonial load is the extra unpaid labour that Indigenous employees frequently undertake in the workplace.
The report estimated that over a 50-year career, one in two full-time Indigenous employees were likely to undertake an additional year of unpaid work.
The report says Indigenous workers have concerns about sharing their identity at work. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Edwina Seselja)
Professor Young, a descendant of the Sydney Aboriginal people, said employers needed to ensure workers were doing their own research and educating themselves to support Indigenous colleagues.
"Some people say that it is our responsibility. I would say go and google it," she said.
Unprepared to respond to racism
Six years on from the first Gari Yala report in 2020, Professor Young said there had been "small gains", but instances of racism remained high and many workplaces were still unprepared to prevent or respond to racism.
Almost 70 per cent of Indigenous employees said their workplaces lacked a dedicated racism complaints process, which was required by law, and 63 per cent said their workplace had no anti-discrimination training addressing racism towards Indigenous people.
Professor Young said having a racism complaints procedure was found to be most effective in making workplaces safe for First Nations people.
"We urge employers to take heed of the findings and act because we shouldn't have to wait a century to get rid of our experiences of racism,"she said.
Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said employers had a legal and moral obligation to ensure their workplaces were safe.
Commissioner Giri Sivaraman says the report findings are alarming but not surprising. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)
"Employers have a fundamental obligation to address racism in the workplace," he said.
"If workers are being targeted by racism then they've failed in that obligation."
The commissioner called on the government to implement the workplace-based recommendations in the National Anti-Racism Framework.
"I think that this report shows how urgent the need for action is," he said.
Mr Sivaraman echoes longstanding calls from Indigenous leaders Senator Lidia Thorpe and Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss.
Last week, the federal government launched an inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Indigenous people.
Professor Young said the CIPW would make a submission as part of the inquiry and would seek law reform that ensured employers had a duty to prevent racism.
She said the establishment of the inquiry showed that society was ready for change.
"Clearly [racism] is something that we now all feel that we have the capacity to name and move on," she said.