Racism in Australia
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Anonymous
| How bad is racism in Australia? I've seen over the years how they've had problems with hate crimes etc. We are planning on driving from Melbourne to Sydney and stopping in towns along the way. Spouse is non-white. We've had other non-white friends who have been to Australia and said they encountered a lot of racists. One studied there for a year and hated it because of the racism. Australia has had a long problem with discrimination against indigenous peoples and Asians. Is it OK to travel there, particularly in the smaller towns, or should we expect hostility? Yes, I know it won't be the same as racism in the US. But is it enough to make travel unpleasant ? |
Anonymous
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I was in Australia for weeks and I noticed it quite a bit. In one incident we were given a special privilege at a tourist site by a man. We hadn’t asked for this and were confused by why it happened. When he shouted out to him (it involved a ride) he told us it was because we looked the part and winked. It was so odd. Though I can’t prove it, I’m almost certain it was because we were white.
I was also really disturbed by the situation with the indigenous people in the outback and the openness in which many elements of society (including non-white) disparaged them. I don’t think you would experience any violence but I could see some discrimination occurring. |
Anonymous
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My impression as a visitor was that it’s horribly racist but the Australians try to cover for it with ridiculous verbal wokery, but no real action. Case in point: at every site you visit, there is signage or some guide saying “We acknowledge this is Aboriginal Land,” but then doing nothing tangible to actually include them in mainstream society, and in fact recently voting against giving them added rights.
Very similar situation in South Africa when I visited. A white tour guide tried to tell me how Apartheid was all behind them, and when I commented that I had attended a theatrical performance in Cape Town the night before without a single black person in attendance, the response was “Oh, well, that wouldn’t have interested them.” America gets all the attention, but Australia and South Africa are not great either. |
Anonymous
| News flash. Racism is a global issue. I have seen it in Europe, and in Asia. It seems to exist everywhere to one extent or another. |
Anonymous
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It is true there is racism in Australia and I’m sorry and surprised to hear you have friends who encountered it.
Australia is a very multicultural country. 31% of the population was born overseas and almost 1/4 speak a language other than English at home. Around 38% of people in Sydney and Melbourne were born overseas so the stretch of coast between them gets a lot of visitors who are not white. Those two cities count for 40% of Australia’s population. Is your spouse of Asian ethnicity? You mention discrimination against Asians and I wonder whether you’re mostly referring to the White Australia Policy. That ended over 50 years ago. Now 18% of Australia’s population was born in Asia or has parents born in Asia. The coast between Sydney and Melbourne is beautiful. If you go, make sure you stop at Jervis Bay. I have non-white Australian friends who vacation in small seaside towns in the area you’re thinking about visiting and don’t have problems. |
Anonymous
| Australia is where convicts went to die. I’m okay with not visiting that god awful place. |
Anonymous
This. Doesn't matter where you are in the world. If you are "not local" or not "from around there" then expect some locals to hate you. No big deal, just be polite and remember you are in their territory and a guest, so act cordially regardless. |
Anonymous
This. Hostility may or may not have to do with skin color, but if you expect it to you may feel that it does. It is often more that visitors are "different", in many ways. Apparent wealth, attire, hairstyle, tattoos, piercings, language, cultural affectations, manner and volume of speech, indifference or ignorance of local customs. Nonetheless, it's possible to get along just fine with some attention to your own behavior and appearance in the context of your environment, something tourists are not always sensitive to. |
Anonymous
| It's pretty racist there. Most racism directed at natives and asians. As an Asian American tourist, i was treated well except on public transportation where i don't immediately ping as American. I think a lot of the racism has to do with lingering covid feelings in addition to history |
Anonymous
Australia was plenty racist before Covid. Covid didn’t help, but it barely moved the needle. |
Anonymous
PP here. . I take it you're not Asian. People parting like the red sea and covering their face with their sleeves when i get on the train is definitely a covid thing |
Anonymous
What happened on public transport? Verbal or physical abuse. |
Anonymous
Well said. That should be put in all travel brochures and websites. Being mindful of other's cultures is important and one should try to blend in as much as possible and adopt local ways. |
Anonymous
We travel to Australia frequently. We have not experienced racism. In fact, one family member who is non-white is made to feel very welcome. An Australian white friend married to a British black man and who lived and traveled throughout UK and EU said that Australia was the easiest place for them to live as a mixed race couple. There are laws against hate speech and actions in Australia. Oz has much lower rates of gun violence and somewhat lower rates of crime than the US There is racism in both the US and Austrlaia but Australia has more laws to prevent hate speech and crimes. Sadly, racism in Australia tends to focus on negative stereotypes of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, and more recently, anti semitic violence. In response to this, last month, the Aussie Parliament passed the Criminal Code Amendment (Hate Crimes) Bill that amends the thirty year old Hate Crime Act. It is designed to better protect groups distinguished by race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, disability, nationality, and/ or national or ethnic origin. The indigenous peoples of Australia have faced terrible discrimination in the past such as forcibly taking mixed race children from their Aboriginal mothers and placing them in institutions to become farm hands and cleaners. This was disastrous for many indigenous youth. In 2008, the then Australian Prime Minister apologized to indigenous citizens about mistreatment and there has been considerable progress on reconciliation efforts since then. Schools are now required to tell the truth about historic injustices and to promote more respect for Aboriginal cultures. About 16% of Australia is owned or controlled by Aborigines and Torres Straight Islanders. So Australia definitely has a history of racism but it is seeking to grapple with it through education and laws. |
Anonymous
Truly an ignorant view. Most of the convicts were Irish and guilty of petty crimes. The banishing of Irish “convicts” to Australia from late 17th - mid 18th centuries was born of UK urban planning seeking to reduce numbers of urban poor in overcrowded UK jails. Most were Irish and many were deported for stealing bread to prevent starvation (or something similar). Adelaide was settled by free settlers. Most early Australian “convicts” earned their freedom after seven years. These days the quality of life in Oz seems relatively high (measured by broad access to food, housing, quality education, health care and employment, in addition to intangibles such as job security, political stability, individual freedom and environmental quality.) All the glorious beaches are public and many have shark nets and life guards. The Australian cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide regularly rank among the top cities in the world for quality of life. There is a long queue of skilled migrants hoping to emigrate to Australia. There is a cultural bias against affected snobbery in Oz so it is probably for the best that you don’t visit. |