Over 1 in 2 Indigenous Australian employees experience racism in the workplace

It will take approximately 118 years for Indigenous Australians to never hear racial slurs or jokes at work, should no further policy or legislation be enacted, one expert has claimed.

Racism remains widespread in Australian workplaces, according to research from the Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW) at the University of Technology, Sydney.

The Gari Yala 2 (Speak the Truth) survey of over 1,100 Indigenous employees revealed more than 50 per cent experienced inappropriate, race-based comments and assumptions at work, and only 40 per cent reported working in a culturally safe workplace.

A quarter cited being in a culturally unsafe workplace, and another 35 per cent ranked their organisation as only moderately safe.

Professor Nareen Young, CIPW director, highlighted “there has been some progress since our first report in 2020, (but) racism and lack of cultural safety remain widespread”.

Minor improvements have been identified since the first Gari Yala study six years ago – for example, the rate of employees who feel safe enough to share their identity has risen from 72 per cent to 79 per cent.

However, unfair treatment has polled 38 per cent in both studies, high cultural load has dropped only 1 per cent, and anti-racism structures show no change, with still only 21 per cent of workplaces providing training and a complaints process.

Young also highlighted that Australian workplaces remain, on the whole, unprepared to prevent or respond to racism, stating: “Nearly two-thirds of Indigenous employees say their workplace provides no anti-discrimination training that addresses racism towards Indigenous people.”

“Even more concerning is the fact that 69 per cent said their workplace doesn’t have a racism complaint procedure as required by the law.”

The results, she said, are a wake-up call to employers and all levels of the government.

According to the survey, the most effective actions to combat racism were also rarely used. The most common initiative, Young stated, “was recognising Indigenous dates of significance – 68 per cent of Indigenous workers said their organisation did this”.

“But this initiative is less strongly associated with low racism levels than those which focus on internal policies and practices that shape employees’ day-to-day experiences,” she said.

“Organisations may be more comfortable investing in actions that signal commitment, than in the harder work of changing internal systems, accountability, and everyday workplace culture.”

One of the simplest solutions – a specialised complaints procedure – could effectively lower racism, but according to the survey, only 31 per cent of respondents reported a functioning reporting system within their organisation.

Training, practices, and policy were also identified as crucial elements of culturally safe workplaces, with Young urging employers “to take heed of the findings and act because we shouldn’t have to wait a century to rid our workplaces of racism”.

Samantha Webster, head of First Nations Affairs at NAB, highlighted that the NAB Foundation supported the Gari Yala research because it “shows the power of listening to lived experiences, backing it up with strong data to help people feel safe, respected, and able to contribute fully at work”.

“Trust grows when First Nations people can see their experiences reflected,” Webster said.

Young said: “No one should have to suffer vilification and ridicule as part of their conditions of employment.”