Almost 60 percent of Indigenous employees experience racism in Australian workplaces, a new study has found.
Gari Yala 2 (Speak the Truth), a survey of more than 1,100 Indigenous employees by the Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW) at the University of Technology Sydney, found that one in two (53 percent) Indigenous employees still experience inappropriate race-based comments and assumptions at work.
In addition, only 40 percent of Indigenous employees reported that their workplaces were culturally safe, with most reporting being either in a culturally unsafe (25 percent) or only moderately safe workplace (35 percent).
Director of CIPW, Professor Nareen Young, said the results of the research are a wake-up call to employers and all levels of government.
“Although, there has been some progress since our first report in 2020, racism and lack of cultural safety remain widespread.”
Prof Young said that six years on from the first Gari Yala study there have been small gains, but racism remains stubbornly high. Findings include:
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More employees feel safe to share their identity (79% versus 72%) and seven of nine forms of racism have eased slightly (by between 0.4% and 1% per year).
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Key markers like unfair treatment (38% in both years), high cultural load (63% versus 64%), and anti-racism structures (only 21% of workplaces offering both training and a complaint process in both years) show no progress.
Prof Young said that at the current rate of progress, without further policy or legislative change, it could take another 118 years for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers to never hear racial slurs and jokes at work.
“The increasing numbers of our mob in work where they had previously been excluded form employment market participation has been a great achievement, but these workplaces need to be made safe. No one should have to suffer vilification and ridicule as part of their conditions of employment,” Prof Young said.
Prof Young said most Australian workplaces remain unprepared to prevent or respond to racism.
“Nearly two thirds of Indigenous employees - or 63 percent - say their workplace provides no antidiscrimination training that addresses racism towards Indigenous people. Even more concerning is the fact that 69 percent said their workplace doesn’t have a racism complaint procedure as required by the law” Prof Young said.
Samantha Webster, Head of First Nations Affairs at NAB, said NAB Foundation backed the Gari Yala research to improve employment outcomes.
“Gari Yala shows the power of listening to lived experiences, backing it up with strong data to help people feel safe, respected, and able to contribute fully at work. Trust grows when First Nations peoples can see their experiences reflected.
“The research builds credibility in the system and gives leaders clear evidence to act on, not just good intentions.”
The survey found that the most effective actions in overcoming racism are also the most rarely used.
“The most common anti-racism initiative was recognising Indigenous dates of significance – 68 percent of Indigenous workers said their organisation did this. But this initiative is less strongly associated with low racism levels than those which focus on internal policies and practices that shape employees’ day-to-day experiences,” Prof Young said.
“This finding suggests that organisations may be more comfortable investing in actions that signal commitment, than in the harder work of changing internal systems, accountability, and everyday workplace culture,” she said.
Prof Young said that having a racism complaint procedure was found to be effective in lowering racism, but this measure was still uncommon in workplaces.
“Unfortunately, only 31 percent of respondents reported that their organisations had a racism complaint procedure, even though we know this is one of the most effective measures in making workplaces safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” she said.
Prof Young urged employers to act on Gari Yala’s findings.
“Gari Yala found that racism is widespread but not inevitable. The research also shows that workplaces with measures like a complaints procedure and appropriate training have lower levels of racism,” she said.
“We urge employers to take heed of the findings and act because we shouldn’t have to wait a century to rid our workplaces of racism.”
Gari Yala 2 (Speak the Truth): Centreing the Work Experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians in 2025-2026 was conducted by the Centre for Indigenous People and Work at the University of Technology of Sydney. The research was made possible by the founding sponsorship of the NAB Foundation. A full copy of the report is available at:
Contact details:
Gary Highland on 0418 476 940 or [email protected]