The onus needs to be at a federal level. Political will needs to be transparent and in focus. — youth consultation with migrant-women focussed organisation, NARF project, May 2021 – April 2022 Although the Commission received a great deal of support for the Framework, there was also consistent feedback from participants regarding the limitations of its consultation process. Due to scarce resources, community consultations undertaken during the scoping phase were conducted with the generous support of community and government partners. However, this meant community consultations were limited to just 10 in total. The lack of comprehensive community engagement meant that there were many communities for whom this process was not accessible. A national framework needs adequate funding for effectiveness. — submission from the Refugee Council of Australia, NARF project, May 2021 – April 2022 Genuine engagement with community The importance and value of community engagement has been wellestablished in literature and is considered best-practice in policy making.3 This is strongly mirrored in SCOA’s experience. We observe that when approaches to addressing issues are informed by the insights of those directly affected, they are most likely to be effective. Such engagements ensure resources are targeted where needed most and can productively question dominant framings of issues and solutions. — submission from the Settlement Council of Australia, NARF project, May 2021 – April 2022 Project participants raised that those who experience the negative effects of racism are best equipped to find solutions. Comprehensive community engagement was emphasised, as was the importance of its culturally safe facilitation. Such an approach would extend accessibility to ‘hardly reached’ communities, such as those experiencing barriers due to English language proficiency or new migrant status. Participants also raised the importance of co-design being part of community engagement processes, which includes affected people in decision-making processes around development, design, and implementation. This was seen as a way to genuinely reflect community feedback and produce policies which respond directly to the priorities voiced. The best person to find the solutions to problems are those who are experiencing the issues. — consultation with First Nations organisation, NARF project, May 2021 – April 2022 National Anti-Racism Framework Scoping Report 2022 | 43