The Anti-Racism Action Plan 2024 to 2027 is part of the department’s vision for building inclusion and fairness.
This plan is the departments commitment to eliminating all forms of racism. It supports the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s recommendations to address the historical and ongoing injustices experienced by First Peoples in Victoria.
The plan is designed to focus on systemic racism. Which is how racism is built into our social systems, like laws, polices and government institutions, creating unfair disadvantages for certain racial groups. This results in:
- Poorer health outcomes
- Over-representation in child protection and justice systems
- Under-representation in employment and leadership
- Housing Instability
- Socio-economic status
The plan applies to all staff and outlines clear steps to address both individual and systemic racism. Our goal is to ensure that our policies, programs, and services are:
- actively counteracting discrimination
- promoting fairness
- culturally inclusive
Vision
We aim to lead in:
- eliminating all forms of racism
- empowering individuals to express their identities
- fostering a sense of belonging within the department
The plan was developed using national data and research on racism in workplaces. It was informed by internal data and consultations with our staff, which identified high instances or racism, particularly for Aboriginal staff.
The Anti-racism action plan is guided by our department’s core values and commitments.
Employing a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and creating culturally safe, inclusive workplaces.
The Anti-racism plan complements and build on the department’s:
- People Strategy 2024–2026
- Aboriginal workforce strategy 2021–2026
- Aboriginal cultural safety framework
- Diversity and inclusion framework 2022–2027.
Call to action
The plan details how department will work with all staff and people leaders to understand, call out and address racism in our workplace. It outlines:
- Six key drivers to remove all forms of racism
- Specific actions for each driver to ensure an anti-racism approach