Racism in health systems
Despite governments and health practitioner bodies across Australia having made multiple commitments to eliminate systemic racism, it is clear that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples still encounter racial prejudice in health systems every day.
Priority 8 of the 2021–2031 NATSIHP aims to identify and eliminate racism across the health, disability and aged care systems, including both individual and systemic racism.
However, commitments to build a health system free of racism cannot be achieved without an unflinching examination of the sources, extent and impacts of the systemic racism that currently exists.
Accordingly, Lowitja Institute calls for governments to immediately invest in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led research agenda that focuses on the impacts of systemic racism in health systems. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s work on an inaugural National Anti-Racism Framework will also be an opportunity to establish ongoing mechanisms, led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples, to capture and measure experiences of racism and impacts of systemic racism in health systems.
