Who this strategy is for
Victoria’s first anti-racism strategy is for all Victorians. This includes people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexualities, faiths and cultural backgrounds.
It is for First Peoples who have cared for these lands, skies and waters for tens of thousands of years, as well as Victoria’s newest arrivals and those who have made this state their home for generations.
It is for those who work in government and in broader public institutions including health and education settings. It is also for those who work in community services, the media, sporting clubs and other private sector organisations.
Everyone has an active role to play in tackling racism, discrimination and vilification.
Why we need this strategy
Our consultations confirmed what existing research and data tell us. Racism is a widespread and common experience for First Peoples, multicultural and multifaith people in Victoria.
In the 2022 Australian Reconciliation Barometer survey, 60% of First Peoples respondents reported experiencing racial prejudice in the previous 6 months.[1] The Yoorrook Justice Commission recently found that systemic racism lies at the heart of much of the systemic injustice affecting First Peoples.[2]
In 2023 almost 1 in 5 (18%) Australians surveyed by the Scanlon Foundation said they faced discrimination in the last 12 months because of their skin colour, ethnic origin or religion.[3] Experiences of discrimination were much higher for people whose background was:
- Asian
- African
- Middle Eastern
- non–English speaking.
Despite Australians having an overwhelmingly positive view of multiculturalism, racism and discrimination remain significant issues.[4] More than 3 in 5 Australians (63%) have a negative view of one or more migrant groups from Asia, Africa or the Midde East or a non-Christian religion.[5] Recognition of the problem of racism is growing across the community. In 2023, 62% of Australians surveyed saw racism as a ‘very big’ or ‘fairly big’ problem in Australia, compared with 39% in 2020.[6]
The harms caused by racism are severe and far reaching. People who experience discrimination report a significantly weaker sense of belonging and personal wellbeing.[7] Community members we spoke to recounted how racism has affected their safety, wellbeing, health (mental and physical) and financial security. They spoke of racism affecting their ability to study, play a sport, get a job and succeed.
We heard that experiences of racism are often made worse by other forms of oppression such as:
- sexism
- ableism
- ageism
- LGBTIQA+ discrimination.
We know that racism has serious health, social and economic impacts for people, communities and societies. Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to its harmful effects. Racism reduces our trust in one another and our overall sense of safety and wellbeing in the communities we live in.
With the world more digitally connected than ever before, global conflicts and crises can also threaten our sense of safety and cohesion in Victoria. The COVID-19 pandemic and recent conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine have shown that these crises often lead to more racism and discrimination locally. Recent efforts to advance self-determination, including the 2023 federal referendum on a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament for First Peoples in Australia, have also been met with increased hate speech and racism against First Peoples.
Actions addressing racism and discrimination are now more important than ever – for First Peoples, for multicultural and multifaith communities and for all Victorians.
The aims of this strategy
This strategy is the Victorian Government’s 5-year plan to tackle racism and discrimination so we can build a safer, fairer and more inclusive state. We want a Victoria grounded in shared humanity and equal human rights.
This strategy aims to create a Victoria where:
- every Victorian is valued, respected and has fair access to services, supports and opportunities
- First Peoples’ collective right to self-determination is promoted and upheld
- everyone’s rights and freedoms are equally protected
- everyone across the state, including regional and rural areas, feels connected to their culture, faith, community and to each other
- we stand up for each other against intolerance, hate, inequality and unfairness
- all people can proudly be themselves, without fear of racism, discrimination or hate.
How we will achieve our goals
We will achieve our goals through actions to address and prevent racism and discrimination. This includes tailored activities for First Peoples and other specific communities.
We will prevent and tackle racism and discrimination throughout the lifetime of the strategy, including by:
- supporting Victorians affected by racism and discrimination
- putting in place important reforms to undo racism and discrimination in the ways we work with people and in the services and supports for Victorians
- partnering with Victorian communities to challenge racism and discrimination in all areas of life
- urging all Victorians to understand, challenge, report and reject racism wherever it occurs.
This strategy supports government-wide efforts to achieve fairness, safety and equity for all Victorians. This includes the Victorian Closing the Gap implementation plan and the Victorian Aboriginal affairs framework (VAAF). The VAAF is underpinned by a commitment to First Peoples self-determination. VAAF affirms self-determination as a human right, referring to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
This strategy also supports the Victorian Government Self-determination reform framework. The framework guides public service action to make self-determination possible, in line with the government’s commitment to the VAAF.
It also includes the Victorian Government’s response to:
- the work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission
- the Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Vilification Protections
- strengthening anti-vilification laws.
We will take an intersectional approach, recognising how other forms of discrimination overlap with and can worsen experiences of racism for Victorians.
How we will measure our progress
We will develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to measure the impact of the strategy on First Peoples, multicultural and multifaith Victorians across Victoria, including in regional and rural areas.
We will track progress, including across each of our priority goals.
Reporting back to communities
We will report back to First Peoples, multicultural and multifaith communities on our progress as actions are implemented. Open communication with communities will enable us to monitor the impact of our actions and ensure community needs remain at the forefront of our work.
Towards a Victoria free from racism
This strategy is part of a long history of law and policy reforms that have sought to address and prevent racism and discrimination across Victoria.
Building a Victoria that is free from racism means reckoning with uncomfortable parts of Victoria’s history and present.
Since colonisation, First Peoples in Australia have faced:
- extensive systemic injustice
- racism
- discriminatory laws
- policy failures.
These have caused – and continue to cause – harm to First Peoples.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission establishes Australia’s first truth-telling process. Its focus is on the historical and ongoing injustices faced by First Peoples in Victoria. To learn more about the Yoorrook Justice Commission, refer to the Yoorook Justice Commission website.
The history of racism in Victoria is also a history of resistance, activism and leadership by First Peoples to:
- fight for equal outcomes
- revitalise cultural knowledge and practices affected by colonisation
- build a diverse and inclusive Victoria
- advance First Peoples self-determination through Truth and Treaty processes.
To learn more about Victoria’s Truth and justice process, refer to First Peoples-State Relations’ Truth and justice in Victoria.
To learn more about Victoria’s history of law and policy reforms, visit Victoria's anti-racism strategy 2024-2029.
[1] Polity Research and Consulting, 2022 Australian Reconciliation Barometer, Reconciliation Australia, 2022. https://www.reconciliation.org.au/publication/2022-australian-reconcili…
[2] Yoorrook Justice Commission, Yoorrook for Justice: report into Victoria’s child protection and criminal justice systems, Victorian Government, 2023. https://yoorrookforjustice.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Yoorrook-f…
[3] J O’Donnell, Mapping social cohesion 2023, Scanlon Foundation, 2023, p 68. https://scanloninstitute.org.au/mapping-social-cohesion-2023
[4] O’Donnell, Mapping social cohesion 2023, p 9
[5] O’Donnell, Mapping social cohesion 2023, p 72
[6] O’Donnell, Mapping social cohesion 2023, p 83; A Markus, Mapping social cohesion: the Scanlon Foundation Surveys 2020, Scanlon Foundation, 2020
[7] O’Donnell, Mapping social cohesion 2023, p 10
Updated