'Greater freedom’ is the new buzz word in Australian politics. The federal government plans to repeal the “hate speech” provisions of the Racial Discrimination Act – effectively removing the restriction to offend, insult or humiliate people because of their race. So what does freedom mean in Australia and do existing laws really limit our freedoms...

Alan Tudge, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, claims that under the Racial Discrimination Act, offensive language can be considered a crime.

Attorney-General George Brandis claims people have a right to be bigots and to say things that other people find offensive.

The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission has conducted research to learn more about the experiences of racism and racial and religious vilification in Victoria. Through this research, the Commission has received responses from the community on the types of actions and solutions that we can all take to help address racism and vilification.

This research summary highlights the key findings of the Aboriginal Experiences of Racism survey undertaken in 2010-2011.