such as health, employment, criminal justice, and education as a key source of international information on the impact of racism.68 While the tool has now been discontinued, it was identified as important in providing insights on racism and particularly the role of different arms of government in addressing racism. Despite some efforts, there is a sizeable gap in data collection on the incidence of racism at the local level in Australia. This presents a significant barrier to monitoring, evaluation and developing appropriate local solutions. The absence of even basic data on the nature and extent of racism at the local level makes addressing racism very challenging. Technology While social media and other online platforms were frequently identified as sites where significant racism occurs, some stakeholders also highlighted the importance of technology as an underdeveloped resource for addressing racism. One person noted that there is a ‘need to harness technology to drive anti-racism and bring people together but to also address the abuse that can happen on these platforms.’69 Some online tools and applications were identified as examples of resources promoting awareness around racism and how to address it. The Racism It Stops With Me campaign website, Call it Out App and the websites of the AHRC and state human rights commissions were all identified as useful to local government in navigating, understanding and addressing racism. One stakeholder emphasised that the proliferation of apps for reporting racism could be confusing to community members and that there would be benefit in streamlining these. They said: ‘There are so many apps – the Call It Out racism app for First Nations people, an Islamic one, a Victorian one, a national one and so then it becomes which one do you report to?’70 Improved funding Local government stakeholders identified a clear need for increased funding to enable councils to run anti-racism activities themselves or through community grants programs, as well as via the employment of designated personnel. This was seen by multiple stakeholders as having an important impact at the local level, including by extending the efforts of community organisations and human rights bodies which cannot always be responsive across all locations. 68 United Kingdom Government | Cabinet Office (2017) Race Disparity Audit: Summary Findings from the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website, accessed 12 February 2024 69 NSW stakeholder. 70 Victorian stakeholder. 41