In August 2020, the Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) was engaged by Basketball Australia to undertake a racial equality review of the sport at a national level.

The request for the Commission to conduct the review was made against the backdrop of global protests and calls for racial justice through the Black Lives Matter movement. In response to these global events members of Australia’s basketball community reached out to Basketball Australia to examine its own position with respect to racial equality in the sport.

This review builds on and draws upon the Commission’s extensive experience in conducting cultural reviews of various organisations, as well as the Commission’s work on human rights and sport.

In conducting the review, the Commission sought to engage with current and former national players and their families, coaches, administrators, and Basketball Australia staff by way of interviews, focus groups and written submissions. The Commission also undertook a ‘desktop audit’ of Basketball Australia’s relevant policies and procedures. The purpose of this engagement and audit was to examine and report on:

• Existing structural barriers to achieving racial equality within organisational policies, pathways, programs, leagues, governance, and culture within Basketball Australia.
• The experiences of current and former national players and their families, coaches, administrators, and Basketball Australia staff about the organisational culture at Basketball Australia, in particular as it relates to racial equality.

This report outlines the Commission’s key findings, highlights international and domestic examples of good practice, and makes 12 recommendations for action and reform.