ABC managing director David Anderson has apologised to current or former staff who have been subjected to racism at the public broadcaster, following a bombshell report led by Indigenous lawyer Dr Terri Janke.
The Listen Loudly, Act Strongly review heard from 120 current and former ABC staff who spoke of overt and covert racism at the broadcaster.
They included:
Racial slurs;
Derogatory and offensive comments about a person’s appearance and cultural practices;
Excluding staff from workplace opportunities or social events due to their cultural or linguistic background; d
Preventing workplace opportunities due to ‘a non-Australian’ or ‘non-Anglo’ accent;
Assuming that First Nations or CALD staff cannot report on matters relating to them/their cultural background with objectivity;
Asking a person who is First Nations or CALD to play a role for a reenactment of another Person of Colour – without asking if this is culturally appropriate;
Comments such as “diversity hire”, “you only got this job because you are Indigenous/CALD”, “you won’t lose your job because you are meeting a quota”;
Assuming someone holds a more junior role because of their racial appearance; and i. Mistaking someone for being a trespasser in the workplace.
Assumption that a person can speak for the cultural group to which they belong, at large;
Mistaken identity with people from the same cultural background;
Stereotyping for example as the so-called “subservient ethnic woman” or the “angry Black woman”;
Women of colour being described as being “bossy” in managerial positions;
Comments on food, hair, skin colour, and laughing or teasing regarding certain lunches/food;
Comments such as “Your voice/look is too Western Sydney”, “You know people out at the Western Suburbs right?”, including where assumptions are being made based on ethnicity and accent, and in ways that are speaking negatively of suburbs with typically higher populations of culturally diverse people;
Not being championed or mentored because you are not in the same cultural group as managers;
Not being considered to be impartial in reporting on a cultural group because you are from that cultural group (whether or not that person is from that cultural group);
Not having opportunities because you are considered to have been hired to only meet diversity targets, and your skills are not valued;
Being asked to do work but without acknowledgement – stories are given to White colleagues to present or to take credit;
Implying that redundancies focus on people who are not First Nations or CALD, comments said or implied, such as “your job is safe, because you are a diversity hire”;
Assumptions such as religious or ethnic background based on a name, accent or appearance; m. Assuming someone is not diverse because their name does not stereotypically suggest so;
Not having a full range of skin tones in makeup so darker people are misfitted into lighter shades.
“This suggests racism is systemic at the ABC – the ABC’s policies and practices disadvantage people who are First Nations and CALD in these areas,” the report found.
“Intersectionality was also raised by participants as an issue, where discrimination occurs on other grounds as well as racism, such as gender, sexuality, age, class, and disability. There were concerns around the treatment of women of colour. Participants located in regional areas noted that they felt more isolated, living in regions where racism was more overt, and not being aware of support service.”
Amongst the comments participants shared were:
“Because of the colour of my skin, I was seen as less than.”
“It was comments like ‘ohh, how much of you is Aboriginal? Don’t worry. You don’t look it’.”
“There is an absolutely undeniable racist culture at the ABC.”
“I struggle with the idea that I have to leave myself at the door. That metaphorical door was built by and for middle class White men. They fit through it, they don’t have to leave anything.”
“I feel a responsibility to my community and children, because if I leave, we are leaving the fight for the next generation.”
“I told my supervisor what happened with the racial slur. They were incapable of dealing with it.”
“I’ve talked to a lot of my non-White friends [who agree] there is a lack of safety. Freelancers at the ABC put up with a lot because they have no power.”
The majority of participants expressed significant hurt, helplessness and exhaustion around their experiences, impacting career progression, self-esteem, and sense of self-worth not just in the workplace, but across their lives.
Participants reported experiencing racism from their peers within the ABC, and from the public through the course of their duties as ABC staff.
Participants also reported that the most concerning instances of overt racism, including racial slurs and direct bullying, were primarily directed towards women of colour leading to severe, long-lasting mental health impacts not only for themselves, but also their peers, witnesses, and their families.
Those located in regional felt more isolated and that the communities they were in held more overt discriminatory attitudes than in metropolitan areas.
People who identified as LQBTQIA+, with disabilities, and young employees voiced further fears about speaking out, particularly noting power imbalances. They also reported experiences of discrimination that the Review Team considers more severe.
Some of the participants did not engage with formal complaints systems out of a fear of not being listened to or believed, not wanting to be perceived as a ‘troublemaker’ or concerns it might negatively impacting their career progression.
“On behalf of everyone at the ABC, I am sorry for any and all racist behaviour and past harms experienced by our Indigenous and CALD employees, either currently or formerly employed,” David Anderson told staff today.
“We all need to do better for our colleagues on our commitment to zero tolerance for racism in our workplace.
“We all need to do better for our colleagues by preventing or acting on behaviour that seeks to discriminate against, bully or demean them.
“We all need to do better for our colleagues by remaining vigilant against racism or discrimination of any kind in our workplace.”
The review has made 15 recommendations to improve the ABC’s systems and processes. David Anderson has committed the ABC to accept in principle all 15 recommendations and engaged former Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan to continue this work. ABC is now recruiting for a Director First Nations Strategy to join the Leadership Team.
ABC has also developed a list of Action items and will launch an internal campaign to raise awareness of racism and discrimination and to make it easier for staff to report.
“As an organisation and as an industry we must learn from the experiences in the report and commit to work together to do better and rebuild the trust that has been eroded by the actions of some people,” Mr Anderson said.
“For anyone who thinks it is ok to display or practise racist behaviour, or who thinks they can make people feel belittled based on their identity, we will call you out and remove you from this organisation. You are not welcome here. We are a workplace that values respect, and we expect it.”
Chair of the ABC Bonner Committee Dan Bouchier said “I asked David to call for this review because it was clear there were big challenges. This report is a turning point and seeks to strengthen and reform the ABC. It’s a line in the sand – we need to do better. The ABC’s First Nations and CALD staff need this to be acted on across the organisation, and the Australian people expect more from the ABC, to ensure it remains the important institution it is.”
Beyond Blue (24/7 crisis support) – 1300 224 636
13YARN (24/7 crisis support) – 13 92 76
Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA)
The National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council
Lifeline (24/7 crisis support) – 13 11 14.
Screen Well
links to content on ABC
TV Tonight
