This statement outlines a zero tolerance approach towards racism in medicine and the Australian healthcare sector as well as a commitment to working collaboratively to eliminate racism within the health system.  

It discusses the nature and impact of racism on medical practitioners in the healthcare environment, with a specific focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors and International Medical Graduates. It also acknowledges the impact of racism on other culturally and racially marginalised groups and the intersectional nature of racism. The statement makes several recommendations on tackling racism in the health workforce, and in the delivery of care to patients including at a healthcare and training provider level and as individual doctors.

Recommendations

1. Embed cultural safety and racial equity strategies in organisational governance and leadership structures, strategies, systems and processes, supported by appropriate funding and resources, and co-designed by people with lived experience of racism.
2. Extend cultural safety and racial equity strategies to employment and training, including recruitment and hiring practices, monitoring and retention practices, and cultural accommodations to support staff with lived experience of racism.
3. Commit to monitor, evaluate and report on anti-racism practices, programs and policies.
4. Provide meaningful racism, diversity and bias training for all staff with built-in organisational performance and accountability measures to monitor progress.
5. Ensure staff know how to effectively respond to racist behaviour from colleagues, supervisors, auxiliary staff and patients, and how to report racist behaviours. There must be a safe, confidential and transparent avenue for reporting. The actions taken by organisations to respond to reports of racism must also be timely, transparent and accountable.
6. Provide access to occupational mental health support, including a place to confidentially address personal experiences of racism, as well as support for the person reporting an event.
7. Create opportunities for safe, open and honest discussions where doctors and staff can talk about problems or encounters with racist behaviour.