We welcome the Australian Human Rights Commission’s new scoping report Data for change: A national approach to anti-racism data.
This scoping report examines how Australia collects, or fails to collect, data on race and racism, and sets out a vision for “anti-racism data” grounded in truth-telling, First Peoples’ right to self-determination and data sovereignty, and embedded in a human rights-based, intersectional and trauma-informed approach.
It notes the limited data on racism in media and the arts, and names our Tracking Racism in the Arts & Creative Sectors incident survey among the few sources. It makes 16 recommendations, including a National Anti-Racism Data Plan.
We agree that data is never neutral, and that categories like “CALD” can hide the racism people experience rather than reveal it. For creative workplaces and organisations, this report is a call to look hard at how we collect and use racism data, in ways that are community-led, accountable, and that help eliminate racism.
Read the report here: Data for change: A national approach to anti-racism data