Victorian Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Ingrid Stitt, says the Race discrimination in the workplace guideline will assist employers to build racial literacy and better understand their legal obligations to prevent and respond to race discrimination under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010.
Launched this week with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, the Guideline will help identify and address racism in workplaces and support First Peoples and multicultural Victorians to fully participate in the workforce and to understand their rights.
“Victoria’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths but we know that our multicultural communities face racism and discrimination at work – that’s why we are providing practical supports to ensure both our employees and employers know their rights and responsibilities,” said Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Ingrid Stitt.
The Guideline was developed in consultation with the broader Victorian community, including multicultural and First Peoples communities and advocacy organisations, community legal centres and workplace discrimination experts.
“We know that creating workplaces free from discrimination is essential if we want to close the gap on employment outcomes for our First Peoples, and that’s why guidelines like these are so important for creating genuine change,” said Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Natalie Hutchins.
Alongside the Guideline, additional resources including policy guides, employee guides and fact sheets have been developed to support employers to create workplaces free from racism.
“There is an urgent need for meaningful change to address racism in Victorian workplaces. The Commission is dedicated to supporting employers to do this with the release of this guideline and essential tools to tackle workplace racism and ensure workplaces are safe for all,” said Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner, Ro Allen.
The fact sheets, active bystander guide and racial literacy guide will be translated into 12 languages: Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Farsi, Hazaragi, Karen, Khmer, Korean, Punjabi, Somali, Turkish and Vietnamese.
The Guideline is one part of a suite of actions the Labor Government is taking to address and prevent racism and discrimination, which includes the development of Victoria’s first statewide Anti-Racism Strategy.
To access the guideline and additional resources visit https://www.humanrights.vic.gov.au/.
