Resources
Policy documents and guidelines
Victorian government: Victoria’s first anti-racism strategy (2024)
Victorian Anti-Racism Strategy (2024-2029)
Available in different community languages:
https://www.vic.gov.au/victorias-anti-racism-strategy-your-language
Further information
https://www.vic.gov.au/victorias-anti-racism-strategy-2024-2029
Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC): National Anti-Racism Framework 2024
National Anti-Racism Framework: https://humanrights.gov.au/anti-racism-framework
Further Information about the AHRC:
For employers: preventing and addressing racism at the workplace
Guideline: Race discrimination in the workplace – your rights and responsibilities under the Equal Opportunity Act (2024), VEORHC
More information
Fact sheets and guides on racism at the workplace (in multiple languages): https://www.humanrights.vic.gov.au/resources/guideline-workplace-race-discrimination/
For local governments
Empowerment through community-led responses to racism. A practical guide for local governments (2022), Welcoming Cities and Victoria University
Recent reports on racism in Victoria
Understanding reporting barriers and support needs for those experiencing racism in Victoria (2024), Victoria University, together with the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) and the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV)
Racism in Victoria and what it means for the health of Victorians (2017), Victorian Government
Hidden Cost: Young multicultural Victorians and COVID-19 (2020), Centre for Multicultural Youth and Australian National University
Local studies
Towards improved anti-racism support in Casey and Greater Dandenong (2023), Victoria University together with the City of Greater Dandenong and City of Casey
Speaking out against racism: An anti-racism roadmap for Whittlesea (2022), Victoria University together with Whittlesea Community Connections
All in this together: A community-led response to racism for the City of Wyndham (2021), Victoria University together with the City of Wyndham
Anti-racism legislation
Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Victoria)
The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 prohibits direct and indirect discrimination and victimisation and establishes a positive duty for employers and other ‘duty holders’ to take measures to prevent and eliminate racism.
More information
Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 (Victoria)
The Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 outlaws public behaviour that incites or encourages hatred, serious contempt, revulsion or severe ridicule against another person or group of people because of their race and/or religion.
More information
Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Victoria)
The Charter protects civil, political and cultural rights in Victoria and obliges public authorities to observe those rights.
More information
https://www.humanrights.vic.gov.au/legal-and-policy/victorias-human-rights-laws/the-charter
Sentencing Act 1991 (Victoria)
According to the Sentencing Act 1991, hatred and prejudice motivation needs to be considered as an aggravating factor when determining the sentence for a crime (section 5).
Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Commonwealth)
The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person because of their race, colour, descent, national origin or ethnic origin, or immigrant status in many areas of public life.
It also makes racial hate speech unlawful, prohibiting speech and acts that are ‘reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate a person or group because of their race, colour, or national or ethnic origin’.
More information
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/employers/racial-discrimination
Resources developed by the local anti-racism support networks
Joint Position Statement on Racism
In June 2025, the three anti-racism support networks in Wyndham, Whittlesea and Melbourne’s southeast released a joint Position Statement on Racism. The statement is available below. If you are interested in supporting this statement, please contact this website: info@antiracismvictoria.com.au
Network resource: Why reporting?
The three anti-racism support networks have develop a one-page flyer outlining why reporting racism matters. This is intended to encourage more people to speak out against racism and make it easier for those who support communities to explain why it matters to report. The flyer can be view below.
Archived news items
Racism Register: New community-led initiative dedicated to documenting racism
The Racism Register is a new community-led initiative dedicated to tracking and documenting
incidents of racism across Australia. By capturing lived realities, amplifying voices too often silenced and driving meaningful action, this initiative seeks to create avenues for justice and systemic change.
People who have experienced racism can report the incidents to the Racism Register here (a full website will be launched soon): https://9bb7ink3bm9.typeform.com/to/TVFvbFTl?typeform-source=racismregister.org
Proposed changes to Victoria’s hate speech and vilification laws
The Parliament of Victoria has published a Bill Brief about the proposed legal changes to strengthen the state’s anti-vilification laws. One of the key amendments refers to the proposed introduction of a harms-based protection model, where those affected by racist hate speech would not have to prove anymore that the actions have incited hatred in others.
The report offers an overview on existing legal protection mechanisms and highlights how rarely the current law has been used in the past due to high legal thresholds. The new legislation seeks to address this.
