After speaking to 120 current and former ABC staff, the review of racism at the ABC by Terri Janke and Company has been released, with a number of recommendations the national broadcaster must carry out to improve.

In section 4 of the report Janke and her team recount some of the statements made by people they talked to for the review. Those quoted are not named for privacy and safety reasons. Some of the comments include:

“It is the small things you carry with you that make you feel so weighed down. What do you do with that feeling, when it makes you feel unsafe coming to work?”

“I feel a sense of duty. I want things to be better for the next person. I would like to imagine working in an environment where someone with darker skin than mine or an accent like my parents… that things would be easier for them. The most racism I have experienced in my life has been at the ABC. ”

“… does someone have to say a slur for it to be racist, or is it the pattern. I think most people know not to say a slur, but the micro things are way harder, like lack of opportunities [for diverse staff].”

“Over the course of my career, it has got better. Pretty bad a decade ago. It has gotten better, we have done big work over the last nine years with RAP and other things.”

“My experience, is yes, there’s structural racism at the ABC. There’s also the interpersonal stuff and the microaggressions. It’s all one big ball of string that every Indigenous staff member experiences one form or another of on a daily basis. And it’s really deep and pervasive, and it can be quite [emotionally] violent. ”

“If people are aware, they aren’t aware of the extent or depth……There is such an enormous amount of shock that should be directed at how this issue is even there. ”

“They become so afraid that even footsteps behind them made them physically jittery, they would come to us all the time and cry.”

“I told my supervisor what happened with the racial slur. They were incapable of dealing with it.”

“People complain about the workplace, but it is a great place to work. How do [these] two things exist – it is the systems. The cultural load systems. Not just in Indigenous things. They are problematic, [and] cause distress. I know a lot of mob at the ABC, everyone has had a racist experience here.”

The responses “overwhelmingly indicates that racism exists within the ABC workplace, and that ABC staff are subjected to racism from external individuals and organisations in connection with their work,” says the report.

Janke recommends a series of internal changes and education that spans all levels of management and staff. One of the key points it calls out is the issue that First Nations and CALD reporters cannot be impartial about indigenous or ethnic issues.

The ABC Code of Practice outlines the standards the ABC must adhere to in order to build and maintain audience and public trust. This includes a commitment to accuracy and impartiality, but the report says the principle of impartiality has not been applied well enough.

“Many participants noted inconsistencies in how impartiality is understood and applied in the ABC, pointing out that assumptions are made that people who are First Nations and CALD cannot be as objective as their counterparts when reporting on issues related to their racial groups… more needs to be done to support staff in effectively implementing impartiality standards, particularly with regard to diversity. It is important that the lens of lived experience be valued in story-telling – seen as a strength, not a deficit, and that people of all backgrounds feel safe to tell stories at the ABC.”

Accent was also identified as a limiting factor:

“Having a ‘non-Australian’ or ‘non-Anglo’ accent was a strong theme raised by many CALD participants, and some First Nations participants, as a perceived barrier to career progression. These participants expressed that it was either directly said or implied to them, and that they could not be on air (television or radio) with a ‘non-Australian’ or ‘non-Anglo’ accent. Participants who felt they did have a ‘non-Australian’ or ‘non-Anglo’ accent reported many attempts to change or hide their accent, including seeking voice coaching. Some participants reported that voice coaching was denied by managers.”

Janke’s report also highlights the racist pressures that ABC staff face from some sections of the audience, through social media and personal harassment.

“Comments on social media and online platforms are filtered by staff to prevent harmful, hateful or derogatory comments. Moderation capability exists for senior ABC staff, however more junior people must take on a moderation role for themselves. This can be problematic due to the emotional impact of public attacks, and the extra time required to do this. This not only creates a risk of trauma, but also creates an added workload not required of  Anglo/Caucasian/White colleagues. However, it is acknowledged that many staff who are not People of Colour or First Nations are subject to public
attacks.

“There does not appear to be a clear mechanism for staff in moderation to flag instances of escalating racism or pressure against particular reporters or producers. It is unknown if staff in those roles have specific training on how to identify racial discrimination.”

The Review looked at how the ABC’s strategies for dealing with racism compared with developing best practice standards to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. Another area of concern that emerged is the complaints processes.

A major concern is that there is a lack of shared understanding of racism among ABC Leadership. “Without a deep and consistent grasp of how racism works, the actions taken to address it tend to be uncoordinated and short-term,” says the report.

Participants interviewed expressed a “strong commitment and dedication to the ABC. While this commitment is reassuring, there are ongoing psychosocial hazards in the ABC that require immediate action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all staff,” says the report.

Racism is “more than just prejudice in thought or action. It occurs when this prejudice – whether individual or institutional – is accompanied by the power  to discriminate against, oppress or limit the rights of others. Racism includes anything that offends, insults, humiliates, negatively views or unfairly treats a person or group of people because of their race, colour, descent, nationality, ethnicity or migrant status.

“Racism can cause both psychological and physical harm to the person or people it is directed at. It can also harm other people who witness or are exposed to it. In the workplace, racism might be expressed through harmful behaviours, including harassment, abuse or humiliation, intimidating behaviour, violence, discrimination and exclusion.

Outgoing managing director David Anderson told staff the testimonies provided to Dr Janke were disturbing and the details of racist behaviour were unacceptable to the ABC.

“On behalf of everyone at the ABC, I am sorry for any and all racist behaviour and past harms experienced by our Indigenous and CALD employees, either currently or formerly employed. We all need to do better for our colleagues on our commitment to zero tolerance for racism in our workplace,” he said.

The report’s 15 recommendations and the ABC’s response, are listed here.

The full report is available here. Dr Janke recommends that everyone working for the ABC reads it in detail.