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Race Discrimination Commissioner calls for government action against systematic racism

Posted on 07 Aug 2025

By Nick Place, journalist, Institute Community Directors Australia

Shutterstock multiracial
Giridharan Sivaraman: “This isn’t about giving anything up. It’s about all of us gaining more.”

Australia’s race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman has called on the federal government to immediately commit to the National Anti-Racism Framework and to establish a National Anti-Racism Taskforce, as he urged Australians to seriously address systemic racism.

Speaking at the National Press Club on Wednesday, August 6, Sivaraman said the National Anti-Racism Framework had been in the public domain for nine months now, enjoying broad support from a range of communities and organisations, including the Australian Council of Social Service, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation, and more than 100 other organisations and government departments.

“Yet we are still waiting for commitment from the federal and state governments,” he told the Press Club.

“We know the framework is bold and broad in its scope. It has to be,” he said.

Sivaraman said establishing an anti-racism taskforce was an urgent priority, and it should include members from senior levels of government, the community and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

“The taskforce would identify priority actions for First Peoples and other affected communities,” he said. “One example could be recommendations aligned with the work of the special envoys to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Giridharan Sivaraman

“It is my hope that with government support, we can get the ball rolling as soon as possible and turn this roadmap for change into a reality. We already have the solutions to tackle racism in Australia; all we need now is genuine commitment and political will.”

Sivaraman’s speech laid out the reality that systematic racism can be almost invisible to those not experiencing it yet make life intolerable at many levels for those trying to overcome it.

For inspiration, the commissioner drew on “beauty in the 238 years of resistance, survival and hope that our First Peoples have been striving for,” including the truth-telling process, through which he said, “we learn to be guided by First Peoples’ strength, knowledge and leadership in our own pursuit of equality.”

He also drew on his own personal story, saying, “If I get off the plane in Chennai, India, my city of birth, I’m simply Giri, or Giridharan to some relatives. When I return back home to Brisbane, I become ‘diverse’, ‘multicultural’, ethnic’, even ‘of non-English-speaking background.’”

All these labels can stand in the way of acceptance and foster disadvantage, which is why Sivaraman is pushing for “real policy change, not just ‘competency’ training.”

“I’ve got to tell you: as Race Discrimination Commissioner, I dream of the day my role becomes obsolete. A day when no one has to talk about racism because no one is harmed by it.”  
Race discrimination commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman

“In November last year, the Australian Human Rights Commission released the National Anti-Racism Framework after extensive consultations with communities across Australia,” he said.

“The framework is the first of its kind – a roadmap to eliminating racism in Australia. It contains 63 recommendations for a whole-of-society approach, with proposed reforms across our legal, justice, health, education, media and arts sectors, as well as workplaces and data collection.”

The framework, he said, recognises that racism “goes beyond individual actions – it’s embedded in the systems and institutions that shape our lives.”

It emphasises the need for building racial literacy, embedding cultural safety, continuing truth-telling about the past and ongoing harms of colonisation, and working to find community-led solutions.

It would also, if adopted, reform the Racial Discrimination Act, passed by the Whitlam Government 50 years ago, an Act that Sivaraman said had paved the way for all the other anti-discrimination laws but was now dated and needed refreshing to address the modern world.

The Racial Discrimination Act should include a “positive duty” legal requirement for employers to be proactive about preventing discrimination, instead of reactive responses, he said.

Sivaraman told the National Press Club that he would love to no longer be needed. “I’ve got to tell you: as Race Discrimination Commissioner, I dream of the day my role becomes obsolete. A day when no one has to talk about racism because no one is harmed by it.  

“To get there, though, we must face some hard truths and acknowledge our problems – including past and present failures. Then, we must work together to implement solutions that give us all a fair go. Solutions that help us realise our own potential, and our shared potential to live in – and be – a stronger society. 

“This isn’t just wishful thinking. The National Anti-Racism Framework can help make it real, and remember, this benefits everyone, not just communities affected by racism.

“Consider the richness and vibrance that would colour our society if we all truly felt safe to be who we are. And what you don’t often hear, but is absolutely true, is that addressing racism makes economic sense. Research shows it costs the economy billions. Racism undermines productivity, workplace safety, and a business’s reputation.

“When you eliminate racism from our institutions, you improve their quality and fairness. All of us benefit from systems that are more transparent, accountable, responsive to our needs.

“This isn’t about giving anything up. It’s about all of us gaining more,” he said.

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