Australian Parliamentary Inquiry Must Target Workplace Racism to End 118-Year Reform Gap
The Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW) at UTS Sydney has called for the newly announced parliamentary inquiry into racism to prioritize the Australian workplace. Citing research from the Gari Yala study, Director Professor Nareen Young warned that without urgent legislative intervention, it could take 118 years to eliminate racial slurs against First Nations employees. The CIPW, supported by the Race Discrimination Commissioner and the ACTU, is advocating for the implementation of a National Anti-Racism Framework to address systemic discrimination.
Harry Taruva 
Sydney - Australia’s leading research body for Indigenous employment has called for a newly announced parliamentary inquiry to prioritize the investigation of systemic workplace racism, warning that current progress is so slow it could take more than a century to eliminate racial slurs from professional environments.
The University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW) on Thursday welcomed the federal inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Director of CIPW, Professor Nareen Young, stated that the inquiry provides a critical mechanism to expose the extent of discrimination faced by First Nations employees and to recommend strategies to eradicate it.
"Our research has found that racism against First Nations people in the workplace remains stubbornly prevalent," Prof. Young said.
The call for action follows the release of data from the CIPW’s research, which suggests a profound stagnation in workplace culture regarding Indigenous inclusion.
According to the Centre's projections, without significant policy or legislative intervention, it would take 118 years at current rates of progress for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers to reach a point where they no longer encounter racial slurs or jokes in the workplace.
"At the current rate of progress, without further policy or legislative change, it could take another 118 years for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers to never hear racial slurs and jokes at work," Prof. Young said.
The CIPW, alongside the Race Discrimination Commissioner and the Australian Council of Trade Unions, has advocated for this specific parliamentary oversight for over a year.
The inquiry will be chaired by Senator Jana Stewart, a Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba woman, a move Professor Young noted is consistent with the principle that Indigenous-related work should be led by Indigenous people.
"This inquiry is timely given the numerous examples of workplace racism collected by us in all of our research on the workplace experiences of Indigenous people," Prof. Young said.
"Senator Stewart’s leadership of the Inquiry is consistent with every recommendation of the CIPW that ‘Indigenous work’ should be carried out by Indigenous people in Australian workplaces," she said.
The CIPW confirmed it will submit its latest report, Gari Yala 2, to the parliamentary committee.
Gari Yala, which translates to "Speak the Truth," is Australia’s largest research study into the workplace experiences of First Nations people.
The Centre intends to urge the committee to recommend the implementation of the National Anti-Racism Framework as proposed by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
The full findings of the Gari Yala study, which details the extent of racism and provides recommendations for overcoming it, are scheduled for a formal launch at UTS Sydney on Wednesday, March 11.
