intersectional experiences and harms, they can respond meaningfully to the
breadth and complexity of racism. The Study actively invites participants with
experiences of intersectional marginalisation and will undertake data analysis to
build a rich, intersectional picture of experiences of racism.
(v)
Focus on the Systemic Nature of Racism
To address racism in a meaningful way, we need to understand the different
ways it operates. Racism is more than just interpersonal racism. Focusing on
interpersonal racism alone means that a person who doesn’t engage in
interpersonal racism may feel there is no more to be done to eliminate racism.
This is not the case.
Racism is often a process by which systems, policies, actions and institutions
create inequitable opportunities and outcomes for people based on race. The
Study is designed to investigate systemic racism within universities, enabling
institutional and systemic reform.
(b)
Privacy and Confidentiality
Privacy and confidentiality are paramount to Study design, ensuring the integrity
of the research and adhering to ethical and legal standards. Racism is a sensitive
and potentially traumatic topic, and participants may be concerned about
discrimination or other negative consequences. Maintaining privacy and
confidentiality encourages open discussions, enabling researchers to gather
accurate and comprehensive data.
The Commission collects and handles personal information in accordance with
the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Archives Act 1983 (Cth) and its Privacy Policy.
Section 49(1) of the AHRC Act makes it a criminal offence for Commission staff to
disclose, without legal justification, any information relating to the affairs of
another person acquired in the course of the Commission’s work. The penalty for
a breach of s 49(1) of the AHRC Act is 50 penalty units or imprisonment for 1
year, or both.
Survey participation will be anonymous, therefore minimising risks relating to
confidentiality and privacy. Confidentiality will be further ensured by the removal
and destruction of any Personally Identifiable Information from survey open-text
data, if a participant has provided such information.
The fieldwork provider(s) will be responsible for protecting the confidentiality
and privacy and ensuring secure storage of the survey data in compliance with
the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles and agreed security
protocols.
56