Human Rights Commission releases guidelines to address spectator racism in sport

The Australian Human Rights Commission has published a new set of guidelines that aim to help Australian sports organisations act effectively and consistently in responding to incidents of spectator racism and preventing racism from occurring at sporting events.

Major professional sports organisations including the AFL, Cricket Australia, NRL, Tennis Australia, and some of the nation’s largest stadiums have already endorsed the guidelines, and the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) expect more to sign on.

The Spectator Racism Guidelines are the result of consultations hosted by the Commission with professional sporting codes, clubs, players, venue operators, and anti-racism experts.

Advising that the AHRC spearheaded the development of these guidelines in response to numerous incidents of spectator racism over the past year, Race Discrimination Commissioner, Chin Tan stated “sport holds a unique place in Australian society - it encapsulates our values of equality and fairness and helps us connect to each other - but unfortunately, racism in sport remains an ongoing issue.

“When racist incidents happen, they can have a long-lasting impact on those affected, and damaging social consequences. There is no place for racism anywhere, and that includes sport.

“We need consistent and strong responses to spectator racism across the sporting codes to send a united message that racism will not be tolerated, and that there will be serious consequences when it occurs.”

The guidelines identify actions that can be taken consistently across sporting codes in responding to incidents of spectator racism. This includes proactive measures to prevent racism from occurring, and appropriate support for impacted parties when it does occur.

The Commission has produced a suite of resources to implement the guidelines, including templates, policies, and communications materials to make clear that racism will not be tolerated.

Explaining that the AHRC intends the guidelines to be the first stage in an ongoing partnership with signatory codes, clubs, and venues to strengthen their anti-racism work and policies, Tan added “we look forward to working with these signatories further to make their sporting codes, clubs and venues as inclusive as possible.”

The Commission is also working on a wider National Anti-Racism Framework to address racism in all areas of society, due for release in 2022.

Click here to download the Spectator Racism Guidelines from the Commission’s website.