A poster used by the "No" campaign of the 1917 Australian conscription referendum , which states "Keep Australia White".
Racism in Australia comprises negative attitudes and views on race or ethnicity which are held by various people and groups in Australia , and have been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices and actions (including violence) at various times in the history of Australia against racial or ethnic groups.[ 1]
Racism against various ethnic or minority groups has existed in Australia since British colonisation . Throughout Australian history, the Indigenous peoples of Australia have faced severe restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedoms, and suffered genocide ,[ 2] forced removals ,[ 3] and massacres ,[ 4] and continue to face discrimination .[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] African , Asian , Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern Australians have also been the victims of discrimination.[ 8] [ 9] [ 10] [ 11] In addition, Jews , Italians and the Irish were often subjected to xenophobic exclusion and other forms of religious and ethnic discrimination.[ 12] [ 13] [ 14]
Racism has manifested itself in a variety of ways, including segregation ,[ 15] racist immigration [ 16] and naturalisation [ 17] laws, and internment camps .[ 18] [ 19] [ 20]
^ "International Convention on the Elimination of A ll Forms of Racial and Sexual Discrimination" . Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights . 13 September 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2018 .
^ "Genocide in Australia" . The Australian Museum . Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ Studies, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (7 August 2022). "The Stolen Generations" . aiatsis.gov.au . Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ "Centre For 21st Century Humanities" . c21ch.newcastle.edu.au . Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ Markwick, Alison; Ansari, Zahid; Clinch, Darren; McNeil, John (14 March 2019). "Experiences of racism among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults living in the Australian state of Victoria: a cross-sectional population-based study" . BMC Public Health . 19 (1): 309. doi :10.1186/s12889-019-6614-7 . ISSN 1471-2458 . PMC 6419444 . PMID 30871531 .
^ "Discrimination against Indigenous Australians has risen dramatically, survey finds" . The Guardian . 23 May 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ "Discrimination: Know your rights Information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people | Australian Human Rights Commission" . humanrights.gov.au . Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ Pedersen, Anne; Dunn, Kevin; Forrest, James; McGarty, Craig (June 2012). "Prejudice and Discrimination From Two Sides: How Do Middle-Eastern Australians Experience It and How Do Other Australians Explain It?" . Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology . 6 (1): 18–26. doi :10.1017/prp.2012.3 . ISSN 1834-4909 .
^ "Australian South Sea Islanders: A century of race discrimination under Australian law (2003) | Australian Human Rights Commission" . humanrights.gov.au . Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ Qiuping Pan; Jia Gao (4 March 2021). "Australia needs to embrace 'Asianness' as part of 'Australianness' " . Pursuit . University of Melbourne. Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ "In our own words - African Australians: A review of human rights and social inclusion issues (2010) | Australian Human Rights Commission" . humanrights.gov.au . June 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ "The Subtle Forms of Antisemitism in Australia" . The Centre for Independent Studies . 21 March 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ "Mocked outcasts to cultural mainstays: How Italian migrants reshaped Australia" . ABC News . 26 September 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ "Red Flag" . redflag.org.au . Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ "History: Protection: Working with Indigenous Australians: History" . www.workingwithindigenousaustralians.info . Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ "1901: White Australia policy enshrined in law" , Defining Moments: White Australia policy , National Museum of Australia, 29 September 2022, NMA classroom resources, retrieved 10 February 2023
^ "Owning our history" . Monash Lens . 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2022 .
^ "Japanese internment a dark chapter of Australian history" . amp.smh.com.au . Retrieved 4 July 2022 .
^ "Japanese survivors recall Australia's WWII civilian internment camps" . SBS News . Retrieved 4 July 2022 .
^ "Civilian internees in Australia | Australian War Memorial" . www.awm.gov.au . Retrieved 4 July 2022 .