Building on our strengths: a framework to reduce race-based discrimination and support diversity in Victoria has been developed through a partnership between the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, the McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing and the Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit. The McCaughey Centre and Onemda are both in the School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne. Drawing on the best available evidence in Australia and internationally, this report outlines themes, strategies and priority settings for the development and implementation of activity to reduce race-based discrimination and support diversity. Although recognising that discrimination has a specific meaning in law, this report takes a broader approach, being concerned with behaviours and practices that result in avoidable and unfair inequalities across groups in society based on race, ethnicity, culture or religion. Despite widespread support for diversity among Victorians, the data presented in this report indicate that race-based discrimination remains unacceptably high. The findings of a survey commissioned by VicHealth in 2006–07 (referred to in this report as the VicHealth Survey) showed that 90% of Victorians think it is a good thing for society to be made up of people from different cultures. However, existing side-byside with this apparent tolerance:
• nearly 1 in 10 respondents agreed with the statement that not all races are equal;
• nearly 1 in 10 respondents said that it is not a good idea for people of different races to marry one another;
• more than 1 in 3 respondents believed that ‘Australia is weakened by people of different ethnic origins sticking to their old ways’; and
• more than 1 in 3 respondents agreed with the statement that there were groups that did not belong in Australia (VicHealth 2007)
These findings are of particular concern given increasing evidence that race-based discrimination impacts negatively on both individuals and the community. This includes evidence of links with ill-health and reduced productivity, social inclusion and community cohesion. Reducing race-based discrimination will be critical if the Victorian and Australian governments are to meet their commitments to achieve equitable health for all Australians and, in particular, to eliminate the gaps in health, social and economic status between people from Indigenous and non-indigenous backgrounds. Building on our strengths is driven by the goal of achieving sustainable reductions in race-based discrimination, with associated medium- and long-term benefits to individuals, organisations, communities and society. It is intended for broad usage across government, corporate, non-government and community sectors as a useful resource in policy and program development, implementation and evaluation
