Commissioners welcome Senate Inquiry into racism against First Peoples

The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes the Federal Government’s announcement of a Senate Inquiry into racism against First Peoples, to be conducted by the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.  

The Inquiry was announced by Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy and will examine the forms, impacts and drivers of racism experienced by First Peoples, and the changes needed to address it.  

Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss and Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said the inquiry cannot be another exercise in diagnosis.  This new Inquiry must drive action - not replace it. 

Decades of evidence 

For decades, national processes have documented the scale of racism - and what must change. These inquiries have already identified the problem and the solutions:  

• In 1991, the National Inquiry into Racist Violence detailed how racist laws, policies and violence have shaped First Peoples’ lives since colonisation - warning racism would ‘increase in intensity and extent’ if governments failed to act. That warning - to its extreme - has now been realised. 

• Parliament’s 2023 Inquiry into the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recommended aligning Commonwealth laws and policies with the Declaration and developing a national action plan. The Government has not responded to that report. 

• In 2024, the Commission delivered the National Anti‑Racism Framework - a practical, whole‑of‑society roadmap developed with extensive First Peoples input. It too, remains without Government response. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Katie Kiss: 

‘We welcome this Inquiry. It can help map how the long history of racism against First Peoples has evolved into the more organised, radicalised and viral forms of abuse and hate we see on digital platforms today. Government already knows what needs to change; this Inquiry must turn that knowledge into concrete action, with timelines and accountability. 

‘Racism is not new. It has shaped our lives since colonisation and continues to cause profound harm. We have seen it in recent attacks on our people - including the violent incursion at Camp Sovereignty in September and the terrorist attack at this year’s Invasion Day rally in Perth - and in the everyday experiences of First Peoples. 

‘The time is now. This Senate Inquiry must produce concrete actions by Government that actually change outcomes for our communities.’ 

Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman: 

'Racism against First Peoples is entrenched across the systems that shape daily life. We cannot keep treating it as a series of isolated incidents. 

'Every manifestation of racism in this country builds upon the foundations of the original violence against First Peoples. We cannot fix a problem without addressing its root cause. 

'The path forward is already mapped. Our National Anti‑Racism Framework sets clear actions - including a dedicated First Peoples strategy, legal reforms and a national taskforce. The Government must adopt and fund it now so this new Inquiry delivers results, not rhetoric.'