Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

There is significant diversity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities based on geographic location, language and cultural identification, social and economic conditions, and historical experiences.

Research concerning workplace sexual harassment experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers is extremely limited. That being said, the 2018 National Survey found that more than half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers said they had experienced workplace sexual harassment in the last five years (53%). This was substantially higher than the rate for the general population (33%). Broken down by gender, 55% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and 50% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, said they had experienced workplace sexual harassment in the last five years.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men were more likely than other men to have experienced sexual harassment (66% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men compared to 56% of non-Indigenous men) across their lifetime. There was no significant difference between rates of lifetime sexual harassment experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and women who did not identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

According to 2016 Census data, most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers were in the healthcare and social assistance industries (14%), and the most prevalent occupation was community and personal service workers (17%). These industries have higher rates of sexual harassment and often involve work with clients or patients in isolated working situations, which can increase their exposure to sexual harassment.

Discrimination against First Nations people is considered one of the most prevalent forms of discrimination in Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience entrenched disadvantages compared to the general population across a wide range of indicators, including in employment. The Diversity Council of Australia’s Inclusion@Work Index found that 38% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers had personally experienced harassment and/or discrimination in the past 12 months—the highest rate of workplace discrimination and harassment of any demographic group.

The 2018 National Survey identified various factors that have an influence on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s experience of sexual harassment in the workplace:

• sex and race are intersecting factors in people’s experiences of sexual harassment;
• racism, bullying and harassment experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has causal links to sexual harassment;
• oppression and discrimination can lead to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women having low expectations of themselves which, in turn, increases their vulnerability to sexual harassment;
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are less likely to report sexual harassment due to discriminatory attitudes and cultural barriers;
• there is a lack of awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment and pathways for resolving sexual harassment in the workplace;
• there is a general distrust of reporting structures due to power imbalances and lack of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in decision-making positions.

Crucial to addressing these issues is ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are fully engaged and included in the workforce. This begins with creating an organisation that respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. 

Research from the Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research and Diversity Council Australia is speaking truth to Australian employers about the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

Gari Yala, which means ‘speak the truth’ in the Wiradjuri language, is based on a survey 1,033 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers across Australia and reveals some shocking realities about experiences of racism, the lack of cultural safety and identity strain experienced by Indigenous people across Australian workplaces.

The video below highlights some of the anonymous survey responses. This video was produced in partnership with Blackfisch (Supply Nation certified supplier) 

The Gari Yala report provides ten truths for organisations to improve workplace inclusion for Indigenous staff based on evidence and designed for workplaces that are ready to listen to Indigenous staff, and willing to act on what they tell them.

You can download a synopsis of the report here.  

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Diversity Council Australia/Jumbunna Institute (Brown, C., D’Almada-Remedios, R., Gilbert, J. O’Leary, J. and Young, N.) Gari Yala (Speak the Truth): Centreing the Work Experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians, Sydney, Diversity Council Australia/Jumbunna Institute, 2020.