Inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Submission by the Australian Council of Trade Unions in response to the Joint Standing Committee inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Australian Unions welcomes the Joint Standing Committee inquiry into racism, hate, and violence directed at aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as an important step toward examining the nature, prevalence, and impacts of racism in our society. The inquiry is an important opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be heard and for the everyday realities and experiences of racism, hate and violence to be acknowledged. We believe that any meaningful effort to reduce—and ultimately eliminate—racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples must be grounded in structural change, not symbolic measures, and must centre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self‑determination and ongoing sovereignty.

As the inquiry seeks to examine and hear evidence on the impacts of racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, we reiterate that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities have long led anti‑racism efforts in Australia. For this reason, both the inquiry process and the development of effective solutions to tackle racism must be grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and on the following fundamental principles:

Self-determination: Self‑determination is critical to combating racism, hate and violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples because it shifts power from paternalistic systems to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander‑led decision‑making, ensuring policies, workplaces and services are culturally safe, accountable and effective.   

Truth Telling: Truth‑telling is essential to combating racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples because it exposes the historical and ongoing impacts of colonisation that continue to shape inequality, prejudice and institutional harm today.  

Makarrata/Treaty: Makarrata and Treaty are vital to combating racism, hate and violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples because they create a formal, truth‑based framework for agreement‑making that recognises sovereignty, addresses historical injustice and resets the power imbalance at the heart of systemic racism. 

Shared responsibility: recognition and active minimisation of the colonial load that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities with lived experience of racism, hate and violence bear when leading and supporting anti-racism action.

Australian Unions believe that racism, hate and violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain entrenched, particularly at work, where ongoing lack of cultural safety continues to damage wellbeing and livelihoods within the colonial structures we work in—reinforcing the union movement’s view that racism is a workplace hazard requiring collective solutions. In addition to the broader actions required based on the terms of reference, this submission seeks to highlight the structural and ongoing racism, hate and violence faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers in workplaces and calls on the Joint Standing Committee to drive structural reforms needed to make workplaces culturally safe and actively anti‑racist. Governments’ commitment to anti-racism action must be demonstrated and supported by ongoing and adequate investments into anti-racism action. Inadequate or ad hoc funding of anti-racism action reinforces systemic racism and inequity, and the adequacy of funding is best determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have a long history in developing best practice solutions.

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