Australian Human Rights Commission Respect at Uni Interim Report December 2024 3 Initial insights This section summarises the initial consultations conducted by the Race Discrimination Commissioner and Study team. These consultations were preliminary in nature and were not exhaustive. They were a starting point upon which the Commission will build, with the intent of capturing the full diversity of views within the community, as the Study progresses. Other research and sources, including the Inquiry into Antisemitism in Universities, also support these preliminary findings. Initial stakeholder consultations have also focused heavily on Study design issues to ensure best-practice stakeholder engagement. These considerations have informed the methodology design. 3.1 Experiences of racism are pervasive Initial consultations have highlighted the pervasive nature of racism on campus. While there is no comprehensive data source until the Study survey is completed, smaller surveys indicate a high prevalence of experiences of racism for students and staff. (a) National Tertiary Education Union Survey - 2nd Report on Cultural Respect, Racial Discrimination, Lateral Violence and Related Policy at Australia’s Universities The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has surveyed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in Australian universities about experiences of racism, cultural disrespect and lateral violence. The survey received 149 responses, representing 29.9% of NTEU members and 11.1% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in universities. The most recent survey data available (2018) found: • 75% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff reported experiencing racism in the workplace, marking a 13.1% increase since the last survey 2011 • colleagues were identified as the primary perpetrators (47.7%), followed by middle management (42.3%) and senior management (30.2%) 28 • 90.7% of respondents experienced disrespect for their cultural obligations 31