Australian Human Rights Commission Respect at Uni Interim Report December 2024 racist. Poor student feedback can jeopardise casual employment or hinder career progression. The Commission heard that some academics adjust their teaching of these more challenging topics to avoid negative repercussions. This, in turn, leads to a decline in racial literacy within universities, as academics who can teach these subjects become concerned about the impact on their careers and are less willing to address ‘difficult knowledge’ such as colonisation and white privilege. The Indigenous Law and Justice Hub also described how these dynamics can add to the cultural and colonial load for First Nations academics: The ‘minority status’ of Indigenous Peoples in the field of legal education and the cultural divide between non-Indigenous students and Indigenous educators … see students emotionally reacting to having their own world view challenged and add to the already significant colonial load for educators. 69 In Commission consultations, First Nations academics provided an example of a non-Indigenous student writing an entire essay about their frustrations about needing to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, full of discriminatory language. Staff ‘escalated [the matter] under academic misconduct but because the student didn’t threaten anyone specifically, there was nothing done about the case.’ 70 In Commission consultations, First Nations academics described the lack of cultural safety directly impacting their career decisions. One academic described their teaching experience as ‘terribly unsafe’ and led to moving away from teaching roles to pure research roles. The Commission heard that First Nations academics feel ‘invisible’, that course coordinators took credit for their work, especially related to cultural knowledge. The additional cultural load of supporting First Nations students and colleagues can also create negative impacts: We’ve got to work with the students who are dealing with [racism] and our colleagues who are perpetrating colonial violence onto students. We aren’t rewarded for that. In fact, we are actually being punished for the work we need to do to keep students safe. 71 Some academics felt that other faculty members were less likely to collaborate with them if they were known for their strong views. Again, this could result in reduced research and promotion opportunities. Academics described being punished for being outspoken about race issues, ranging from reprimands to 45