Attachment 3: Responses to Question 3.3 Question 3.3 If you have encountered direct racial discrimination and/or racist attitudes in the workplace please detail your experience/s: Respondent Comment Number X
Lack of support in academic role.
Number X
Being referred to as an Abo
Number X
Minimal to remember
Number X
Being overlooked for people with lesser experience
Number X
Student attitudes to my teaching reflected in feedback
Number X
Only when working with outside organisations and it has never been directed directly at me but I did feel the need to speak up and let them know where I am from and who I am.
Number X
The comments come through via other colleagues.
Number X
I was questioned as to why I was allowed to go to NAIDOC and not supported by senior management who said I had to be professional about these sorts of comments...
Number X
Comments, attitudes, lack of consultation and respect, use of inappropriate language, inappropriate curriculum
Number X
Only verbally like not ‘black enough’ or labelled as trouble and there is never debate or open discussion once you identify a racist comment, just attitude and avoidance.
Number X
I have outlined some of these previously in this survey, however I do believe it is important that the racism that includes the not feeling culturally respected or safe is prevalent, the not being able to have world views understood or respected on an academic level is stressful and damaging.
Number X
Denial of career advancement (no secondments/higher duties); Disparaging or belittling remarks from non-Aboriginal supervisors.
Number X
There are times when can read racism on a person face without them even saying anything. You feel sick when that happens. People patronise you all the time.
Number X
Most of what has been said to me comes from ignorance of my culture, for example, ‘You’re so white, why would you say you’re Aboriginal when you can get away with being White Australian?’ or ‘Why do Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people need a special day of (NAIDOC) and/or why do you get cultural leave’. (They say this with a lot of resentment).
Number X
Students deliberately interrupting Aboriginal lectures with politically motivated questions. Colleagues disparaging content and intent of research with Aboriginal communities ... being questioned formally by regarding where my allegiances lie ... do I work for the university or the community? Being told that Aboriginal lecturers do not make the grade working in faculties. Having my revelations of the trauma and needs in Aboriginal community research ridiculed as an attempt to gain a personal advantage in research funding argument.
Number X
Not acknowledging academic qualifications, belittling work.
Number X
Verbal attack.
Number X
My applications for higher positions has in my view not been on the basis of merit for I have applied times for higher positions, I have demonstrated experience, qualifications and have been over looked or not considered suitable over a non-Indigenous person without any management or higher duties experience.
Number X
General assumption that Indigenous people are not capable of higher levels of abstract thinking. Employment of under educated Indigenous people to high academic positions continues to confirm and convince dominant non-Indigenous academic staff that Indigenous people are not expected to be competent and will be more inclined to be influenced and controlled by the powers of the hierarchy.
Number X
Racist remarks, isolation, bullying.
Number X
Non-compliance with the Indigenous employment policy and strategy, de-Indigenisation of identified positions etc disrespecting Indigenous history, knowledge by students and the public.
Number X
Phone calls when something happens in the Indigenous community. If you send emails to the majority of a large workplace you will have those who want to be removed from the email list even though they’ve been sent the info as a staff member.
Number X
Too upsetting to repeat.
Number X
Having to justify my work decisions in a verbose manner to get a simple message across. The communication gap just seemed greater if my intent was positive rather than engaging in older practices which are now considered outdated and require multicultural approaches to understanding differences in clients.
Number X
See previous statements.
Number X
Racist comments made by students on a subject discussion board. A non-Indigenous colleague accepting the role of being a tool/conduit for a senior/manager Aboriginal colleague to perpetrate lateral violence.
Number X
Students are the worst offenders. We get called name, our teaching is challenged, we get labelled as having chips on our shoulders and we are often called racists because we challenge students about their racist views. This is - of course- not punishable because the university would no doubt lose money.
published by nTEU
31