This review was announced following public discussion and comments about racist behaviour at the ABC and how the organisation responds to acts of racism from within and outside the organisation.  The review has made 15 recommendations to improve the ABC’s systems and processes.  

The ABC commissioned the Review in response to calls for an independent and external process by senior ABC Indigenous staff and the ABC Bonner Committee (which advises the Managing Director on Indigenous matters). The Review also followed conversations with the ABC Indigenous, Diversity & Inclusion team.

In response, the ABC will launch an internal campaign to raise awareness of racism and discrimination and to make it easier for staff to report instances of racism and discrimination. In addition to current anti-bullying and harassment training, and inclusion training, the ABC will begin specific anti-racism training with staff. 

Key findings

• Participants reported experiences of racism, both overt and covert.
• The majority of participants expressed significant hurt, helplessness and exhaustion around their experiences in the workplace.
• The ABC’s systems for dealing with racism need improvement.
• Many participants noted inconsistencies in how impartiality is understood and applied in the ABC, pointing out that assumptions are made that people who are First Nations and CALD cannot be as objective as their counterparts when reporting on issues related to their racial groups.
• There are ongoing psychosocial hazards in the ABC that require immediate action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all staff.
• The ABC has actively introduced measures to address racism in the workplace in recent years. However, the implementation of these strategies has been inconsistent.