Australian Human Rights Commission
Input to 2024 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 47/21
31 March 2024
11. The Commission is currently progressing the development of a National AntiRacism Framework (the Framework). The Framework aims to provide a
shared vision, as well as a focus for specific actions, to tackle racism in its
interpersonal, institutional, and systemic forms.
12. The Commission undertook a scoping phase for the Framework between
March 2021 and April 2022. This phase entailed more than 100 consultations
with communities and organisations, and receiving 164 public submissions –
many from community members.
13. The findings of this scoping phase culminated in the Commission’s National
Anti-Racism Framework Scoping Report (Scoping Report), published in
December 2022. The Commission is using the Scoping Report as an evidence
base for the development and implementation of the Framework.
14. The Commission’s scoping consultations identified that an intersectional
approach is crucial to understanding racism and anti-racism action.
Intersectionality is therefore a guiding principle on the ongoing Framework
development.
15. The Scoping Report also identified various community priorities to respond to
the issues, including those mentioned in the previous section of this
submission, faced by negatively racialised communities in Australia. These
priorities included the need to:
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urgently address racism at a national level, including systemic racism
and particularly in the criminal justice system
increase racial literacy in Australia through public education and
awareness-raising
build more culturally safe workplaces and education institutions
improve legal protection frameworks with timely and meaningful
remedies for discrimination, adequate redress and less barriers to
access
16. The Commission’s continued development of the Framework involves:
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identifying the necessary measures that form part of a comprehensive
response to racism and its prevention, including national policy
frameworks on multiculturalism, reconciliation and social inclusion;
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