confuse community members but that it helped to inform the advice they now provide on addressing racism: ‘It's actually more effective to go to…. In Victoria, we've got the online reporting tool, or you can ring up, but it's the call centre. They write down everything that you say, and it triggers an official report. (Once) an official report (is) triggered, they have to respond to it. They can't ignore it. And so, you know, so my advice now to everybody is if it's not lights and sirens, if you're not in (a), you know, emergency, this is more effective than you're going down to the police station, or you are ringing your local police station because you don't know who you're gonna get.’57 Acknowledgment Local government stakeholders stressed that it is hard to combat racism in an environment where racism is openly treated as a non-issue by high profile figures, particularly political leaders. Participants emphasised that it is critical that political leaders take a formal stance on addressing racism but instead that some often fuel racial divisions within society. One interviewee said it is hard to influence community perceptions about the existence and impact of racism when leaders such as former Prime Minister Scott Morrison commented on their views on the lack of racism in Australia.58 Several participants referenced the racial tensions and debates that occurred throughout the lead up to and aftermath of the 2023 Voice Referendum, while others talked about such issues in the context of the unfolding situation in Gaza as well as the treatment of diverse population groups by governments in responding to the COVID 19 pandemic. Feedback from ALGA identified that a rise in anti-authority and extremist behaviour by members of the public was being reported by member councils and that this had increasingly been on display at council events and locations. This has had an impact on council activities across the country, including in some instances requiring a police response. They went on to say: ‘One of the issues that has come up nationally for us is the disruption to Council operations and meetings, particularly in some states. It's not everywhere, but it that has come up in discussion on our board... So basically, and we do believe some of these protest groups are networked or getting networked and also have links. So, they do things like disrupt Council meetings, belittle Council staff.’59 57 Victorian engagement 58 SBS | NITV (2022) Five times Scott Morrison has been called out for comments on racial issues, accessed 112 February 2024 59 ALGA engagement, 2023. 37