Australia's Racism Inquiry: Empty Chairs and Unheard Voices

The topic is about Indigenous Australians

Marissa Williamson Pohlman, an Aboriginal Olympic boxer, faced racist slurs in her career

A family survived a bomb that didn't explode

An Olympian was forced out of sports due to bullying

A mother questions if school is harmful for her kids

An elder is scared to gather in public after an attempt on their life

The inquiry heard harrowing testimonies of racism and violence

Witnesses shared dark moments of their lives, including violence and fear

Many spoke publicly, despite personal costs, like Marissa Williamson-Pohlman

Institutions only support Indigenous people when it's convenient

Williamson-Pohlman wonders what she could achieve without fighting the system

Many stories detailed personal and systemic harm through racism

Some invited to listen or respond didn't attend the inquiry

The inquiry had notable attendees, but also many absences

Dozens of politicians and officials were asked to attend

Most didn't show up

Senator Jana Stewart called the NT government's absence disappointing

Inquiries are not just for fact-finding

Senator Stewart thinks big organizations should front up to inquiries

Attendance matters for people with little institutional power

The hearings were hard to listen to, with stories of racism and abuse

The weight of expectation is palpable after the hearings

An elder said the story of racism is one of harm and hate

Racism is pervasive and won't change until reality is faced

A question hangs over the inquiry: can it make change?

Renae Isaacs-Guthridge told of a bomb landing near her and her family

There's a tale of two inquiries, one on antisemitism and one on First Nations racism

The royal commission on antisemitism was set up after a terror attack

The First Nations racism inquiry came after an alleged terror attack

A bomb was thrown into a crowd of Indigenous people on January 26th

Former presenter Brooke Boney was forced to leave the media industry

Isaacs-Guthridge said the trauma was compounded by leaders' and police's response

There was a pattern of people saying nothing after the attack

Isaacs-Guthridge believes there's underlying hate against Aboriginal people

These sentiments were echoed across the country

Comparisons with the antisemitism royal commission were unavoidable

Ken Wyatt wants the national cabinet to give the same weight to the inquiry's findings

The silence surrounding Indigenous experience of racism was noted

The inquiry chair said the experiences of First Nations people aren't elevated

There are those who see the simultaneous inquiries as a built-in accountability system

Ken Wyatt thinks the royal commission on antisemitism will lead to recommendations

He wants the same effort to address racism against Aboriginal people

The existence of two separate inquiries has prompted questions about social cohesion

Some point to politicians' example and culture wars souring national discourse

The referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament lifted the lid on racism

The outcome appears to have given mainstream Australians permission to be racist

Those who would otherwise stay hidden now share their racist views openly

Great expectations surround the inquiry

Senator Stewart is aware of where the inquiry may go

She doesn't want to see another report gather dust

Many previous inquiries have laid out plans to make Australia better for First Nations people

But most recommendations have been ignored or acted against

Outcomes are on the minds of those who gave evidence, like Dr Jim Morrison

Aboriginal community-controlled organisations told the inquiry of racial bias

Morrison said the committee's recommendations risk becoming another report

He urged the committee to ensure recommendations translate into action

Yorta Yorta elder Monica Morgan gave detailed evidence on her landmark case

She asked what would happen as a result of the inquiry

Senator Stewart replied that they hope for change

The survivors who gave evidence have now gone home

Their stories sit in the parliamentary records, proof that we cannot say we didn't know

The question is whether empty chairs will remain a symbol of indifference

See more ABC coverage