Reconciliation Australia welcomes the appointment of Chin Tan as the new Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission.
The Race Discrimination Commissioner role is important to ensure protections against racial discrimination in Australia are upheld.
Reconciliation Australia’s 2016 Australian Reconciliation Barometer found that 37 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experienced verbal racial abuse in the previous 6 months, and a majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander respondents (57 per cent) believe that Australia is a racist country.
Importantly 97 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and 89 per cent of the broader community think that the relationship between our First Peoples and other Australians is important.
Reconciliation Australia has identified race relations between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other Australians as a critical dimension to reconciliation, and has worked closely over many years with Race Discrimination Commissioners on these issues. This includes as part of the National Anti-Racism Partnership Strategy and on the Racism It Stops with Me Campaign.
Reconciliation Australia congratulates Mr Tan on his appointment and looks forward to working with him in his new role.
