Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The struggle for full equality takes many forms. Sometimes it is progressed by laws in this place, sometimes it is progressed by the decisions of government, but most of the time it comes from the courage of individuals or groups of individuals prepared to stand up to racism. The Greens will always stand with those who want to fight racism, and today I want to pay tribute to the actions of some of my constituents in Melbourne who have successfully fought back against the racism they have experienced.

Last month, Victoria Police settled a case brought by six young African men which alleged officers engaged in racial profiling. The six men, Daniel Haile-Michael, Jibril God, Shuab Ali, Maki Issa, Hakim Hassan and Magnus Kaba, pursued the case for six years before this settlement was reached just prior to a hearing before the Federal Court. These six young men, members of the African-Australian community, lived in North Melbourne and Flemington in my electorate at the time the alleged conduct took place from 2005 to 2009. The men claimed that they were often stopped and searched in the community solely on the basis of their ethnicity.

Although the case was not determined by the court, a number of issues were raised which are now the focus of community concern. Among the evidence provided for the case is statistical analysis prepared by Professor Ian Gordon of the University of Melbourne. Professor Gordon's report identified that over the time period relevant to the case in these parts of my electorate, males of African ethnicity were 2.4 times more likely than men of other ethnicities to be subject to a stop and search. Professor Gordon also found this occurred despite the fact that the average number of offences committed by this group is significantly lower than that of males from other ethnic groups. That is a shocking statistic that needs to be addressed by Victoria Police. One of the outcomes of the settlement is an inquiry into the way checks on people are conducted by Victoria Police. This review will cover stop and search processes and will also review training.

The Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre, a legal service in my electorate, was one of the organisations that acted on the complaint. The exposure the case has brought to public processes is a valuable contribution to the community and I commend the individuals who persisted with the case over so long. Anthony Kelly of the Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre has said that more accountable and transparent systems are still needed for stop and search procedures. In particular, this case has highlighted that the public should not have to resort to discovery processes to obtain statistics on stop and searches. As in the United Kingdom, this data should be routinely published so that it can be scrutinised by the public. This will ensure greater accountability and transparency. Mr Kelly suggests a system in which receipts are provided to individuals who are stopped and searched.

The outcome from this case reflects years of work by the community sector and the perseverance of the men who took the case on, and I congratulate them on what they have achieved. It shows what can be done when people of courage take on institutionalised racism despite the odds.