Findings: education Imagine a world where all Australian children are respected and offered the absolute best choices in education and future employment; imagine an Australia where every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child has the right and opportunity to realise her or his dream of excellence. And imagine every Australian university student benefiting from the expertise and ingenuity of the world’s oldest living cultures. — Tom Calma AO1 Consultation participants and many of those who made submissions on a national anti-racism framework conveyed to the Commission that there is a lack of understanding amongst the public and within institutions about race and racism and how it shapes everyday life. Both First Nations participants and non-Indigenous participants indicated that there was not enough understanding about the unique position of First Nations peoples. Improving literacy about race and racism in Australia was identified as an opportunity to connect people through common understandings and build momentum for change including through anti-racism initiatives and actions. The need for a holistic approach to public education was asserted by participants, including reforms to educational institutions and their curricula to foster racial literacy and anti-racism from a young age. Broad based racial literacy I wasn’t able to really articulate myself about this topic until I got to Uni and learnt about different theories and ways of talking about racism. — youth consultation participant, submission from Multicultural Youth Action Network, NARF project, May 2021 – April 2022 Government agencies, peak and community organisations, and individuals alike indicated that educating the public about race and racism was a key priority. Participants shared concerns with the Commission about the broad lack of understanding and awareness of how race and racism operate amongst the public, and an associated lack of motivation to address it. Many participants shared that they themselves only became able to articulate their own experiences after engaging with material on race and racism in a tertiaryeducation context. Consultations and submissions advocated for earlier and wider community understanding of how race and racism operate, to support action to address racism in all facets of public life, and better enable individuals and organisations to prevent and respond to racism in various settings. National Anti-Racism Framework Scoping Report 2022 | 102

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