Labor Government Accused of Failing to Act on Anti-Racism Plan
Federal Labor has been accused of ignoring a comprehensive plan to combat systemic racism in Australia, nearly 18 months after receiving recommendations from the Human Rights Commission. New documents released to the Senate reveal no progress on the national strategy delivered to the government and published in November 2024, despite repeated pleas from the race discrimination commissioner.
Repeated Pleas from Commissioner Ignored
The documents, requested by the Greens and released days ahead of the first hearings of the royal commission into antisemitism, cover communications between the commission and the attorney general, Michelle Rowland. They show that the race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, wrote five times and held at least two meetings with Rowland, imploring the government to adopt their proposed anti-racism framework. In response, Rowland replied four times that the recommendations were "being carefully considered", but no concrete action has been taken.
The government has defended its response to combating racial hatred, citing the upcoming royal commission as well as work done by the Islamophobia and antisemitism special envoys. However, critics note that the government has also yet to respond to the special envoy on Islamophobia, highlighting a pattern of delay.
Framework Recommendations and Criticisms
The anti-racism framework makes 63 recommendations, including establishing a national anti-racism taskforce, creating a standalone Human Rights Act, and implementing a positive duty to eliminate racism across employers and businesses, as well as in the health and housing sectors. Labor introduced a similar duty to eliminate sexual harassment in 2022, raising questions about why racism is not being addressed with the same urgency.
In a letter to the minister on 1 September following anti-immigration rallies that targeted the Indian community, Sivaraman wrote, "Until we address the structural roots of racism and reform our systems and institutions, this racist bile will continue to spill onto our streets, making all of us less safe." Rowland responded three weeks later that the government was still "carefully considering" the framework recommendations and the special envoys' reports. The royal commission is due to hand down its findings in December.
Internal and External Pressure Mounts
Some within Labor have expressed frustration over the government's lack of response. Former cabinet minister Ed Husic, the first Muslim frontbencher, has repeatedly called on his party to tackle the issue, stating, "We have an issue with racism in this country. The anti-racism framework, we haven't responded to that, we've got to get working on it." Other Labor MPs privately told media they want to see a formal response to show the government is taking racism seriously, with one MP saying the commissioner was "owed" a response.
However, some in Labor argue the issue has changed drastically in the last year and the framework may no longer be the best policy pathway. Despite this, Islamic and Jewish groups have joined calls for action. Imam Shadi Alsuleiman, president of the Australian National Imams Council, said "we need implementation" of the plan, while Dr Rateb Jneid of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils urged the government to introduce a positive duty to prevent racism.
Bart Shteinman, executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, called the framework the most "comprehensive, evidence-based, and consulted on" approach to tackling antisemitism and racism. Peter Doukas, chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia, added that implementing the framework was a "no brainer" given the social cohesion crisis.
The ongoing delay raises concerns about the government's commitment to addressing systemic racism, as advocates warn that without action, the situation may worsen, impacting community safety and cohesion across Australia.
