Following an increase in racism since the pandemic began, the ACT Government has begun an inquiry into racism in the ACT, and ways to report it.

Liberal MLA Giulia Jones, Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs, hoped the inquiry would reveal the prevalence of racist attacks in the community, and the context in which they occurred. It would also provide a forum for victims and witnesses of racist attacks to share their experiences confidentially.

Over the last two years, Mrs Jones said, she had been approached by many people who told her that verbal attacks on them or their communities had increased.

“People being abused in multi-unit complexes, but who cannot get away from their abusers because of the COVID-19 lockdown. Rocks thrown at people’s windows. Taxis driving past people because of their colour, perhaps. Women in hijab being verbally abused. Business owners of Chinese origin being targeted. Indian Canberrans being called [names].”

Mrs Jones also wanted the inquiry to provide a stocktake of existing laws that prevented racist behaviour, and to look at current reporting mechanisms. These, Mrs Jones said, were inadequate; it seemed the ACT Police did not have adequate resources to respond in many instances, while the Human Rights Commission required complainants to go through a process that was not easy for non-native English speakers, and multicultural groups did not know how to report to the Commission.

“This is evidence enough that the reporting mechanisms are not working,” Mrs Jones said. “Those who actually need this service don’t know it’s there.”

The inquiry will seek the input of the Human Rights Commission and ACT Policing. 

A discussion paper will be prepared by 31 March 2022, and the Inquiry will report to the Assembly in September.

“I hope that this Inquiry’s report … guides how this Territory deals with and addresses racism in our community for decades to come,” Mrs Jones said.

ACT Labor and the ACT Greens unanimously supported Mrs Jones’ motion.

“We as a community should not and do not accept intolerance,” said Andrew Braddock, Greens spokesperson for Multicultural Affairs.

“Many will not consider themselves racist, yet many in our community experience racism. This is why we must understand the systemic structural and subtle ways that racism is perpetuated in our community.”

He argued that the ACT must have an anti-racism strategy: “a fully-fledged plan to support social cohesion and inclusion at all levels, moving beyond the short-term celebration of visible and palatable signs of cultural differences, like music, dancing, and food, and asking the hard questions about representation, power, and resources”.

“The absence of an anti-racist strategy in the ACT means there is a lack of mechanism for accountability,” Mr Braddock said.

“The ACT is a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive society,” said Tara Cheyne, ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs. “Racism has no place in Canberra. We are a proud multicultural community, and there must be zero tolerance for any a form of racist behaviour.

“While the ACT has a strong legislative framework to address racial discrimination and vilifications, I do welcome the opportunity to hear from the community about the gaps, accessibility, and adequacy of the system, including redress options, as well as importantly, the root causes. A committee inquiry doing a deep dive will be valuable.”

Work was already underway, Ms Cheyne noted: last week, Canberra was ‘established’ as a Welcoming City; the Discrimination Act will be reformed to cover all areas of public life, and make eliminating discrimination a positive duty; and the Multicultural Recognition Act will enshrine multiculturalism in law. Earlier this year, the ACT Government welcomed the Race Discrimination Commissioner’s plan to establish a National Anti-Racism Framework.

“It is good that, today, racism is an issue that is far more important than party politics,” Mrs Jones said. 

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