Project timeline

Articles and reports related to various stages of the project are available in the Publications section of this website.

1998

A research project team was initiated on the geography of racism in NSW. The Chief Investigators included:

  • Professor Kevin Dunn, (Geography and Urban Studies, Western Sydney University)
  • Associate Professor Jim Forrest (Geography, Macquarie)
  • Adjunct Professor Ian Burnley (Geography, UNSW)

Australian Research Council, Small Grant (UNSW) received, allowing research project to commence.

1999

Kevin Dunn presented the first conference paper on the racism research project, "A geography of racism in NSW", at the Institute of Australian Geographers Conference: Geography at the Millennium, held at the University of Sydney from 27 September to 1 October.

2000

Australian Research Council, Large Grant received, for project entitled "The geographies of racism in Australia". To be conducted by Dunn, Burnley & Forrest, from 2000- 2002. Consisted of a telephone survey of racist attitudes.

2001

The 2001 Racism Survey

A survey of attitudes to diversity and experiences of racism in New South Wales and Queensland was conducted. The telephone survey was conducted between October and December 2001 by the Hunter Valley Research Foundation among residents of New South Wales and Queensland, achieving a completed sample of 5056. The main focus of the survey was directed at developing a measure of the attitudes that respondents hold towards cultural diversity, cultural privilege, the extent of racism and tolerance of specific cultural groups (further details can be found on the Our Research page).

2004

The Challenging Racism Project website was officially launched on Wednesday 22nd December 2004.

2005

ARC Linkage International grant was awarded for the project, "Comparing racism in Australia and Canada". 2005.

Team members, Anne Pedersen and Yin Paradies, undertook work involving a review of anti-racism initiatives, marking a shift in focus from mapping racism to assisting with anti-racism.

2006

Goldstar research grant (UNSW) awarded, and an ARC linkage proposal prepared for submission in 2007 on local anti-racism.

The VicHealth Commissioned Survey

VicHealth funded a reproduction of the original telephone survey in Victoria (sample 4016). Survey was undertaken by the Social Research Centre. The data has been added to the findings collected from the original survey undertaken in New South Wales and Queensland.

The 2006 Racism Survey

An ARC Discovery Project grant was awarded, funding a second racism survey.

The second racism survey was conducted between January and March 2006. The telephone survey was conducted between January and March, among residents of all states and territories, excluding Tasmania, achieving a completed sample of 4020. The survey was undertaken by the Hunter Valley Research Foundation.

2007

VicHealth released a report using the data from the 2006 VicHealth Commission Survey, 'More than Tolerance: Embracing Diversity for Health' (opens in a new window) in 2007.

ARC Linkage Project grant awarded for project "Managing cultural diversity on Australia construction sites", with University of New South Wales as administering organisation. Collaborating/Partner Organisations include Multiplex construction, Mirvac Group and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union. Funded from 2007 – 2010. This research will help to improve the dismal occupational health and safety record of the Australian construction industry. By making construction safer for non-english speaking migration who are a significant source of labour, this research will help to reduce sever skill shortages.

Report submitted to Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, "Stranger in Our Midst? Intolerance and Discrimination Towards Minority Cultural Groups in Victoria", by Forrest, J and Dunn, K.

The SA/ACT Commissioned Surveys

The Equal Opportunity Commission of South Australia, ACT Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and the ACT Human Rights Commission co-funded a further survey of attitudes across their respective states with a sample size of 1484 in South Australia and 454 in ACT (total sample 1938). The survey was undertaken by the Social Research Centre. The ACT/SA survey included additional questions on:

  • Anti-racism legislation, as well national and state anti-discrimination agencies
  • Participants awareness of the function of anti-racism agencies and the Racial Discrimination Act were surveyed.

Regional profiles were created for South Australia and available in the National Level Findings section of this website. Finds for the ACT are reported in the following documents:

The original 2001 Experiences and Attitudes survey has now been completed in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia and the ACT.

2008

ARC Linkage Grant awarded for the project "Constructing regionally appropriate anti-racism strategies for Australia" with University of New South Wales as administering organisation. Partner organisations include Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Equal Opportunity Commission of South Australia and Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission. Funded for 2008 – 2010. The project tests the utility of anti-racism templates in rural and urban Australia. The templates will be usable by local authorities and NGOs in framing their anti-racism efforts.

Report on attitudes to diversity and experiences of racism in the ACT was published: "Report on 2007 Australian Capital Territory Racism Survey" [PDF, 292.77 KB].(opens in a new window)

Fieldwork was conducted in South Australia (2 case study regions) consulting with stakeholders on the utility of the anti-racism materials developed. Fieldwork involved 16 interviews or focus groups sessions with key informants (July 2009; Feb. 2010; March 2010). The informants included representatives of local government, local cultural groups, 'multiculturalism service' providers, MRCs, and other relevant organisations. Presentations to peers on the findings from the local consultations (Assoc American Geographers Conference; Anti-racism symposia)

The TAS/NT/Perth Surveys

The original 'Experiences and Attitudes Survey' of the 'Racism and Data Collection Project' was undertaken in Tasmania (sample 351), the Northern Territory (sample 300) and Perth (sample 851). The funding for carrying out the telephone surveys, in these locations, was provided by the then Department of Migration and Citizenship's Living in Harmony Program and was undertaken by the Social Research Centre. A sample of 1502 was achieved. The survey has now been undertaken across all Australian states and territories and a 'national' data set has been compiled and is available in this National Level Findings section of this website. Preliminary state comparison was released in October 2008.

Further information:

2009

Submission lodged to the Brennan Committee National Human Rights Consultation on the extent of human rights issues in Australia, and on the need for further human rights protection.

Challenging Racism team members authored and advised on the VicHealth report, "Building on our Strengths: A Framework to reduce race-based discrimination and support diversity in Victoria" (opens in a new window)

Engaged by the Australian Human Rights Commission to analyse the written submissions from organisations and individuals submitted in response to the Freedom of Religion and Belief Project Discussion Paper. Report delivered in late 2009: 'Freedom of Religion and Belief in the 21st Century: Meta-Analysis of Submissions'. The submission was used in the Australian Human Rights Commission's final report (note pages 15-16, 73 and 79).

2010

In response to attacks on international students, project data were analysed to provide a sense of the extent to which Australians of certain backgrounds are more exposed to racism (e.g. Indian-, Sri Lankan- and Chinese-Australians). The data were presented to various symposia and key government agencies during 2009 and 2010.

NSW fieldwork undertaken in first half of 2010 (1 case study region), consulting with Sydney stakeholders on the utility of the anti-racism materials developed.

Commissioned by VicHealth to undertake an international review of research and reports on bystander approaches to anti-racism. Report entitled, "Review of Bystander Approaches in Support of Preventing Race Based Discrimination" (opens in a new window) was published in November 2010.

Commissioned by VicHealth to undertake a "Review of audit and assessment tools, programs and resources in workplace settings to prevent race-based discrimination and support diversity".(opens in a new window) Report was published in November 2010.

2011

ARC Discovery Project grant awarded for the project 'Ethnic discrimination in the private rental housing market', with Western Sydney University as administering organisation. Funded for 2011 to 2013. Paired testing protocols, as used in North America and Europe, will be used for the first time in Australia to test for ethnic discrimination in the allocation of private rental housing. This will fill a significant gap in current knowledge, and provide an evidence for policy action and remedies.

ARC Linkage Grant awarded for the project 'An exploration of the frequency, outcomes, enablers and constraints of bystander anti-racism' with University of Melbourne as administering organisation. Partner organisations include the Australian Human Rights Commission, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, and the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation. Funded for 2011 to 2014. Bystander anti-racism involves ordinary people speaking up and taking pro-social action when witnessing racism. This project will develop empirical understandings of this underexplored, yet potentially powerful form of anti-racism, including its frequency, the outcome of action, and factors that enable and constrain bystander anti-racism.

Report entitled, "Freedom of Religion and Belief in the 21 st Century: Meta-analysis of Submissions",(opens in a new window) compiled by Dunn, K and Nelson, J was published, with a subsequent journal article in 2012.

2012

ARC Linkage Grant awarded for the project 'Cyber racism and community resilience' with University of Technology, Sydney as administering organisation. Partner organisations include Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, Australian Human Rights Commission, Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia. Funded for 2012 to 2015.Racism has become a significant source of social stress, facilitated through the internet, undermining community cohesion. The project will document perpetrators' creation of racist content, internet users' exposure to cyber racism, the capacity of regulation to manage the impact, and how social media can help communities to resist cyber-racism.

Report entitled, "Submission to the National Anti-Racism Partnership & Strategy Discussion Paper" [PDF, 191.02 KB], (opens in a new window)compiled by Dunn, K, Babacan, H, Forrest, J, Paradies, Y, Pedersen, A & Nelson, J was published.

2014

All Together Now, the University of Western Sydney, Deakin University and Melbourne University developed the world's first anti-racism app, 'Everyday Racism' (opens in a new window)on 22 January.

Report entitled,'Submission re: Freedom of Speech (Repeal of S. 18C) Bill 2014' [PDF, 239.53 KB] (opens in a new window) compiled by the Cyber Racism and Community Resilience (CRaCR) Research Group. 

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