‘My main problem with any anti racism programs is that they very rarely delve into, what are the drivers of people that perpetuate micro or macro aggressions? Or how did those people consciously or unconsciously inform systems and approaches to things and that's my main concern because I just, I just think always talking to the victim is, is a very easy one, it sets up the expectations that generally anti racism programs can't meet. And then at the same time, it allows, it ensures that society lets those people down. So, then they lower their expectations again. So, there's a whole variety of different ways that that sort of thing plays out, which I find concerning.’25 Resourcing constraints Funding was raised by all participants as a challenge. Departmental staff were unable or unwilling to share information about their funding levels and appeared to have limited knowledge of budget allocations. Unsurprisingly, most APS staff nominated current resourcing levels as a barrier to increasing their capacity for antiracism work. In the words of one public servant interviewed, ‘We do what we are resourced to do.’26 The need to reactively respond to domestic and international crises and associated community impacts was raised as a constraint on both resourcing and the ability to plan. Some specific concerns were raised by non-government stakeholders about restrictions on how community sector organisations can use grant funding. The marked difference in levels of funding available to tertiary intuitions and the community sector to conduct research was also nominated as an issue. Funding for innovative approaches was noted by one community sector participant interviewed who said ‘there is a real need for micro-funding for innovation in this space. We know the key forms of racism are systemic and institutional (so there) needs to be funding for CSOs to come up with solutions and scale up.’27 Partnerships versus lack of coordination While some departmental participants provided examples of challenges resulting from siloed and disconnected work within and across departments, others spoke of interagency partnership work and partnerships beyond the Federal Government. For example, the Multicultural Affairs branch in the Department of Home Affairs works closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC) and the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD). The work of the Optional Protocol on the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) and Justice Reinvestment 25 Federal stakeholder interview (Community) 26 Federal stakeholder interview (Departmental) 27 Federal stakeholder interview (Community) 18