Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's 1975, and—maybe not me!—people are wearing flares, listening to ABBA and watching Countdown. Under Labor's Whitlam government, the Racial Discrimination Act became law. For the first time, Australia said that racism has no place here. It made it illegal to treat someone unfairly because of their colour or ethnic origin. It gave everyone equal protection under the law. Employers could no longer reject somebody because of their surname. Landlords couldn't refuse tenants because of their skin colour. Public spaces and schools were open to all. And, if someone was discriminated against, they could take action. They could say, 'This isn't right,' and the law would stand with them. This parliament decided to put that fairness into law. For millions, that decision truly mattered. That's what progress looks like. But laws don't end racism; people do.

A recent review of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 argues that the law remains crucial, yet its impact is constrained by media representation, public discourse and structural issues. While the act gives people legal rights, it does not fully remove the deeper social and institutional barriers that racialised communities often face, and, 50 years later, that fight continues. We see it in the fight to close the gap. The attacks on Camp Sovereignty showed equality on paper means little if it's not lived. We see it when Australians with multicultural backgrounds are told to 'go back to where they came from'. The marches earlier this year proved racism still exists in our nation. We see it every time someone's opportunity is limited by prejudice.

This anniversary is not a pat on the back; it's a call to keep going. When I think of the Racial Discrimination Act, I think of courage—the courage of people who spoke up when it wasn't popular, the courage of leaders like Gough Whitlam and Kep Enderby and all Aboriginal elders who believed this country could be better. As a Mutthi Mutthi Wamba Wamba woman, I know that progress is fragile. My family, like many others, lived through policies that tried to erase the very being of who we are. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, between 2018 and 2021, 65 per cent of First Nations people experienced everyday discrimination. So, no, you cannot say that racism does not exist in this country. And yet, here we stand—proud, loud and still here. Now is the time to represent the diverse voices that make Australia strong. That's why I'm here and that's why I do the work that we do.

This law set a standard that fairness is not optional; it's the law, and it's on all of us to keep it going that way. When one community is targeted, we all lose something. When we fight racism in our systems, our schools and our workplaces, we make our country stronger. So, on this 50th anniversary, let's honour those who fought for this law, let's honour those who fight to keep this promise alive, and let's make the next 50 years fairer, kinder and bolder, because equality is not a finish line. It's a fight, and every generation must pick up the baton and keep moving forward. It's a fight we must choose every single day. For me, I do that on the shoulders of so many of the women who came before me and who continue to fight for a fairer Australia and a fairer country for every single one of us.