‘Being a small jurisdiction, we don’t have money to prepare our own collateral, our own videos. It’s
really useful to use the campaign resources … Tasmania doesn’t have the same big profile
organisations working on racism, so we’ve seen the need to take the lead – the campaign helps
with this.’
—Equal Opportunity Tasmania
‘We were trying to push for anti-racism work before the campaign came along, so it helped get
everyone on board.’
—Flinders University
‘Being a supporter is an invitation for people to actually start talking about [racism].’
—Uniting
In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement, a rise in racism linked to COVID-19, and ongoing concern about
far-right extremism, saw conversations around race and racism change significantly in Australia. In
response to this, Commissioner Tan’s campaign team initiated a refresh of the campaign, seeking to
provide supporters with the tools to engage in current conversations and challenge racism in their
workplaces, communities, schools, and homes. The work undertaken in this reporting period includes
activities to design and develop a new:
•
public awareness campaign and accompanying educational resources
•
RISWM website
•
Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool to support employers looking to improve their approach to
cultural diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Community and stakeholder views are an important part of the process. Two Expert Advisory Groups
were established to advise on the development of the RISWM public awareness campaign and Workplace
Cultural Diversity Tool. Each group is made up of experienced academics, practitioners, and advocates
from a diverse range of industries and cultural backgrounds, each with expertise in anti-racism or the
promotion of cultural diversity and inclusion.
The consultation strategy for the RISWM public awareness campaign included 12 meetings with community
organisations, anti-racism academics, and practitioners, spanning NSW, Victoria, and Queensland. A
preliminary consultation survey for the Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool was circulated among
stakeholders. Secondary consultations will take place in the next financial year.
The coming year will see the rollout of the public awareness campaign and accompanying educational
resources, and the launch of the new Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool, which will be hosted on the
RISWM website.
Annual Report 2020–2021
Australian Human Rights Commission
55