First published in 1997, Face the Facts has become a permanent feature of the Australian Human Rights Commission's, contribution to informed factual public debate about race, Indigenous peoples and cultural diversity in Australia. This edition of Face the Facts reflects the continued demand for accurate and easy to understand information about Indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Face the Facts draws on primary research information from a variety of sources, including laws made by the Australian Parliament, government policies, academic research and statistics gathered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics including the 2006 Census data. The factual information gathered here, from various sources, provides a reliable snapshot of some aspects of the social realities of Australia.