Racism in Australia
Racism in Australia is inextricably connected to the history of colonisation and migration. Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people have been the principal victims of racial discrimination in Australia.
There has always been an underlying antisemitism in Australia, which escalates at times of tension in the Middle East, whenever there is a new wave of migration, and at times when a scapegoat has been needed.
Historically and in more contemporary times, Asian people have been subjected to racism and discrimination. From the ‘White Australia Policy’ and the infamous Dictation Test, action has been taken to exclude Asian people (particularly Chinese early in the century; Vietnamese and others later). Fear of Asian people was so great in the 1960s that Australians spoke of the ‘Yellow Peril’ invading and destroying Australia.
More recently Muslims have also been the target of racism in Australia, often referred to as Islamophobia.
Racism against Indigenous People
Until recent times, racist policies and practices were entrenched within Australian laws and institutions. These included the removal of Indigenous children from their families and the denial of full citizenship rights to Indigenous people.
Indigenous people have also been subjected to widespread racist violence in Australia. The violence includes both that against individuals in public places and that against organisations as a backlash against Indigenous activism and political expression. [1]
Harassment and violence against Indigenous people is but one manifestation of racism against them. Indigenous people are harassed in public areas such as streets and parks, and, previously in NSW and WA, were prohibited from drinking in certain public places, where non-Indigenous Australians were not restricted. [2]
Verbal abuse, graffiti and property damage are also enduring. Aboriginal land councils and land rights groups have, over the last few decades, reported a history of violent backlash against their activities, including attacks while they protested development proposals. [3]
Over and beyond public policy and legally entrenched racism, racism against Indigenous people experience systemic inequality, resulting in severe socio-economic disadvantage. Disproportionate numbers of Indigenous people have been in contact with the criminal justice system and in detention, as a result of structural inequality in the criminal process and socio-economic difficulties that lead them to come in contact with that system. Mandatory detention, targeted towards Aboriginal children, is still practiced in parts of Australia.
Today many Indigenous people living in remote communities are disadvantaged by their inability to access to quality healthcare and medical services and education that are available to the rest of the Australian community. It has been estimated that the life expectancy of an Indigenous person is around 17 years less than that of a non-Indigenous person. Life expectancy for Aboriginal or TSI persons is approximately 59.4 years for men and 64.8 years for women. The life expectancy for non-Indigenous Australians is at 76.6 years for men and 82 years for women.[4] There is a far higher rate of diabetes, infant mortality, and communicable and preventable diseases. While steps have been taken to improve this health status, there is much to be done, through community capacity building, to redress these inequalities. [5]
Islamophobia
Particularly following the September 11 attacks, both Muslim and Arab Australians have experienced a significant rise in Islamophobia and racism. Such prejudice has manifested across the spectrum of violent attacks, mosque and other property damage, and slurs. It has also manifested in a more intangible, yet equally pervasive discrimination in access to employment and in stereotyping in the mainstream media. Those who are identifiable, such as those wearing religious attire or are of Middle Eastern appearance, have felt particularly targeted. Women wearing hijabs have reported being spat at and yelled at from passing cars, whilst both men and women with Muslim or Middle Eastern sounding names have, in some sectors, found it difficult to obtain job interviews. Others who have not necessarily experienced vilification themselves have still felt the burden of the overall rise in Islamophobia. [6]
Islam has been vilified in the media and elsewhere as hateful, violent, misogynistic, and contrary to Australian values. Many mainstream Muslims have been stereotyped as terrorists or terrorist sympathisers, though the vast majority of Muslims are innocent of, and abhor the actions of the extreme few.
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[1] See generally Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Racist Violence: Report of the National Inquiry into Racist Violence in Australia. Canberra, 1991, Part 2, Chapter 5.
[2] Ibid. p.73.
[3] Ibid .p.71.
[4]Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Social Justice Report 2005, Chapter Two, ‘Achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Equality within a Generation – A Human Rights Based Approach’. (Web Link)
[5] See speech by Tom Calma, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Australia, ‘Diabetes in Indigenous Communities’. International Diabetes Forum, 13 November 2006, Melbourne, Australia. (Web Link)
[6] For a comprehensive study of the issues facing Muslim and Arab Australians, see Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Isma – Listen: National consultations on eliminating prejudice against Arab and Muslim Australians. HREOC, Sydney, 2004. Much of the information is accessible on the web: (Web Link) | 
Antisemitism 