This Is Not Who We Are Racism Exposed And Challenged From Aged Care Homes to City Streets
Australia’s multicultural identity is being tested on two very different frontlines: inside our aged care homes and on the walls of our cities. While racist incidents continue to cause harm, new community initiatives are showing how celebration, education and solidarity can push back against hate.
Racism in care, respect as the remedy
In one regional aged care facility, persistent racist abuse and discrimination towards staff from culturally diverse backgrounds forced management to confront what many describe as the “elephant in the room” of the sector. Surveys of aged care workers in Australia have found that a majority have witnessed racism on the job, yet the issue is often minimised or ignored.
Rather than treating incidents as isolated, the service introduced structured anti-racism education, regular “learning circles” on culture and inclusion, and clear processes for reporting and responding to abuse. At the heart of the change was a simple principle: acknowledging the cultural diversity of both residents and staff, and making it visible and valued in everyday life.
Celebrating culture changes behaviour
The centre began marking major cultural and religious festivals of both workers and residents from South Asian celebrations to East Asian and Pacific traditions, alongside Christmas and other familiar events. Staff, residents and families formed a cultural committee to co-design events, performances and shared meals that reflected the mix of backgrounds in the home.
These changes produced measurable results: reported incidents of residents mistreating staff fell dramatically, and staff turnover also dropped, as workers felt safer and more respected at work. Nurses reported feeling more confident to call out racist behaviour, backed by management and formal policies instead of being left to cope in silence.
A poster defaced, a question of who is ‘Aussie’
Hundreds of kilometres away, a street artwork in Adelaide part of a long-running series questioning who gets to be called “Aussie” was recently defaced with a white supremacist slogan. The poster featured a historical image of a non-European migrant who lived and worked in Australia around the time of the White Australia policy, paired with the word “Aussie” to challenge narrow ideas of national identity.
The graffiti, sprayed across a busy inner-city intersection, turned a piece aimed at inclusion into a hostile message of exclusion. The artist, who has installed similar posters across Australian cities for years, says he now expects racist vandalism and replaces targeted works regularly, often responding by pasting up even more posters in return.
Symbols of hate, real-world impact
Researchers who track far-right and racist movements in Australia warn that messages like “white power” are not just random acts of vandalism but deliberate attempts to claim public spaces and intimidate communities. For those who are the targets including migrant, Muslim and Jewish communities the impact is a heightened sense of fear and a reminder that their belonging is still being questioned.
The Adelaide vandalism occurred against a backdrop of heightened racial tensions and anxiety following recent violent incidents and global conflicts, which community leaders say are being exploited by extremists seeking to deepen divisions. Yet many also point to the posters themselves highlighting people who resisted exclusionary policies as proof that Australia’s story has never been purely “white”.
Multicultural values on the line
State multicultural officials have condemned the graffiti as offensive and unrepresentative of South Australia’s broader population, stressing that most residents support a harmonious, inclusive society. They argue that moments like this should be a catalyst for communities to recommit to values of kindness, respect and mutual support, rather than retreat into silence.
Experts in multicultural policy and aged care say the same principles apply whether the racism appears on a city wall or in a nursing home corridor: it must be named, challenged and countered with practical action. From structured anti-racism programs in care facilities to public art that celebrates diverse histories, the work of building a fair and welcoming Australia is ongoing and it belongs to everyone.
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