teams within AGD, while not explicitly focused on addressing racism, provides opportunities for collaboration across the Federal Government through Interdepartmental Committees (IDCs). The OPCAT work includes the ability to hold other agencies to account under Australia’s international human rights commitments. Partnership approaches extend to the community sector. Services Australia has a national multicultural advisory group that engages with peak multicultural agencies, and Multicultural Affairs in Home Affairs hosts the National Multicultural Advisory Council. However, a lack of coordination on racism work was identified by most stakeholders interviewed as a key challenge. This includes coordination: • across Federal Government policy and programs • across Federal Government grants funding to the community sector • with state/territory and local government, and • across government-funded research and data collection. As referenced later in this report there is significant research in Australia on racism and anti-racism, but it is disjointed and not connected in ways that would coordinate research findings with policy action aimed at robust outcomes. Either/or First Nations versus CALD communities Many participants identified an ‘either/or’ attitude in government that forces a choice in resourcing and policy focus between First Nations and CALD communities experiencing racism and racist behaviour. It is important to note the distinctions between these communities and the unique experiences and impacts of colonialism on First Nations peoples, families and communities and the need to avoid homogenous, one-size-fits-all approaches. Interviewees identified the ‘anchoring’ of anti-racism work in CALD communities, and a focus on religious diversity in particular, which does not overtly engage with First Nations peoples’ issues and experiences. Some participants also nominated work focused on First Nations/non-Indigenous community relations as a gap in their own work. As with other tiers of government, much of the work undertaken by federal agencies is internal and aimed at APS staff but fails to overtly include reference to racism, apart from Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) due to the clause inserted by Reconciliation Australia in recent years. The impact of the failed 2023 Voice Referendum was raised by First Nations and nonIndigenous participants as a ‘lightning rod’ for the need for government to reaffirm its commitment to addressing racism against First Nations (and all) communities. 19