Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to the Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman's, press club speech, supporting his calls for the Albanese Labor Government to fully fund and implement the National Anti-Racism Framework (NARF) and to tackle the root causes of systemic racism and hate.
As stated by Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Greens and spokesperson for Anti-Racism:
"The Albanese Government has had nine months to respond to the National Anti-Racism Framework, but we haven't heard a peep. How many more times will First Nations people and people of colour share their trauma of systemic racism before this government listens and acts?
"Rather than entrenching a hierarchy of racism, the Prime Minister must scrap the envoy system and use the funding to start implementing the National Anti-Racism Framework immediately.
"From parliament to the streets, politicians have neglected, and even denied, structural racism while hiding behind whitewashed buzzwords and gestures. They have gaslighted and punished those daring to highlight existing racism.
"It's way past time to act on the ugly truth about racism and white privilege. Racism in this country is rife, systemic, and entrenched, and it must be challenged, dismantled, and eradicated.
"I urge the Prime Minister to heed the calls of Commissioner Sivaraman to implement the National Anti-Racism Framework.
