We heard in consultations that public places like parks, streets, shopping centres and public transport are common settings for racism. Experiences included:
- being followed or having bags searched by security guards in shops
- being threatened, spat at or physically attacked
- being denied entry to bars or clubs
- being ignored by staff in shops or restaurants
- being abused on social media and in traditional media
- witnessing or experiencing racism in public and community sport settings.
I have regularly experienced racial profiling by security. Despite dressing professionally and being friendly, a security guard without fail asks to inspect my bag, despite watching me carry things around the store to purchase them.
– Survey respondent
Racism in public places
First Peoples:
- First Peoples are 4 times more likely to experience racism than non–First Peoples.[11]
- Almost two-thirds (60%) of First Peoples reported experiencing racism in 2022 – almost 20% higher than in 2020. This included verbal abuse in public and being denied access to venues.[12]
- The values and attitudes of police and protective services officers (PSOs) to First Peoples, including any racial prejudices, can strongly influence and negatively affect how they use their discretionary powers.[13]
- There is a risk that police and PSO actions against ‘antisocial’ behaviour will affect First Peoples unequally and unfairly.[14]
Multicultural youth:
- A study of multicultural young people found that 85% of 16- to 24-year-olds experienced at least one incidence of racism. Many of these occurred in community or public places (73.5%).[15]
Multicultural young people reported consciously changing how they behaved in public to avoid being exposed to racism. They also feared returning to public places after COVID-19 lockdowns ended.[16]
We also heard that people faced racism at sporting events from other players or spectators. Officials and community club staff were not always able or willing to step in.
A 2022 survey of Victorians found that 29% of people identified racism in sport as a big problem, with racial vilification often justified as a form of ‘sledging’ to put players off their game.[17]
Racism is also common in junior sports involving children and young people, with racial abuse often not well managed by clubs and victims expected to ‘toughen up’.[18]
Watching incidences of when Aboriginal Australians or those from African or Asian backgrounds are being subjected to racist vilification when they play sport is demoralising. It also acts as a deterrent to young people with different cultural, ethnic or religious backgrounds from participating in sports. Both in the media but also in community sports, there needs to be more focus on inclusiveness, respect and celebration of the contribution of different sportspeople.
– Survey respondent
Racism during COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic and its lockdowns, reports of racism and discrimination increased across metropolitan, rural and regional areas in Victoria. These were fuelled by online hate and negative portrayals in the media.[19]
- The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) reported that there were 22% more reports of racial discrimination and vilification during 2020 and 2021.[20]
- A 2022 survey of Asian Australians found that 40% of participants faced racism during the pandemic. This was most commonly in public settings but also online.[21]
- Negative depictions of Muslims in international news stories during the pandemic have been linked to more attacks on Muslim Victorians in public. Muslim women accounted for 78% of victims.[22]
- In 2022 the Online Hate Prevention Institute identified increased vilification of Jewish, Muslim and Asian-Australian communities during the pandemic. It also noted the risk that people prone to extremism could escalate online hate speech into real-life hate crimes.[23]
The media has a tendency to overemphasise the ethnicity of perpetrators who come from diverse communities. This leads to stereotyping and fear in the community.
– Survey respondent
[11] A Markwick, Z Ansari, D Clinch and J McNeil, ‘Experiences of racism among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults living in the Australian state of Victoria: a cross-sectional population-based study’, BMC Public Health, 2009, 19:1–14
[12] Polity Research and Consulting, 2022 Australian Reconciliation Barometer
[13] Yoorrook Justice Commission, Yoorrook for Justice: report into Victoria’s child protection and criminal justice systems
[14] VALS, Building back better: Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service COVID-19 recovery plan, 2021. https://www.vals.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/FINAL-Building-Back-…
[15] N Priest, J Guo, K Doery, R Perry, K Thurbe and R Jones, Addressing racism and its health impacts on children and young people: research summary, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), Australian National University and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, 2021. https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/news-publications/research-publication…
[16] Priest et al., Addressing racism and its health impacts on children and young people: research summary
[17] Victorian Government, Change our game: state of play survey 2022–23, Victorian Government, 2023. https://changeourgame.vic.gov.au/leadership-centre/state-of-play-survey…
K Farquharson, R Spaaij, S Gorman, D Lushe and R Jeanes, ‘Managing racism on the field in junior sport’, in P Essed, K Farquharson, K Pilla and EJ White (eds), Relating worlds of racism: dehumanisation, belonging, and the normativity of European whiteness, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2018
[18] Farquharson et al., ‘Managing racism on the field in junior sport’
[19] Online Hate Prevention Institute, Coronavirus used to fuel Sinophobia, Online Hate Prevention Institute website, 2020. https://ohpi.org.au/coronavirus-used-to-fuel-sinophobia
[20] Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC), Reducing racism during COVID-19, VEOHRC, 2020 https://www.humanrights.vic.gov.au/legal-and-policy/covid-19-and-human-…
[21] A Kamp, N Denson, R Atie, K Dunn, R Sharples, M Vergani, J Walton and S Sisko, Asian Australians’ experiences of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies (CRIS), Melbourne, 2022. https://www.crisconsortium.org/research-reports/asian-australian-racism…
[22] D Iner, Islamophobia in Australia IV (2014–2021), Islamophobia Register Australia, Islamic Sciences and Research Academy of Australia and Charles Sturt University, 2023. https://islamophobia.com.au/resources
[23] Online Hate Prevention Institute, Coronavirus used to fuel Sinophobia
Updated