Working in rural and remote health demands courage, reflection, and a deep commitment to equity. It also places clinicians in a unique position to witness both the strengths and the challenges experienced by the communities they serve. With this in mind, Dallas McKeown, CRANAplus First Peoples Advisor, reflects on how national anti-racism campaigns can be used to promote reconciliation and advocate for a society free from systemic racial bias, and why this work matters profoundly to our sector.
In 2022, the Australian Human Rights Commission refreshed Racism. It Stops With Me, an initiative first launched a decade earlier. This iteration, led by then Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan, was shaped by wide-ranging engagement, particularly with people across Australia who have lived experience of racism, to clarify what a national campaign should do and how it should do it.
The campaign recognises the longstanding leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as others with lived experience of racism, and invites all Australians to reflect on their responsibilities and take meaningful action.
At its core, the campaign aims to:
- Bring more Australians into informed conversations about racism and anti-racism;
- Extend the focus beyond interpersonal incidents to include institutional and systemic racism; and
- Equip people and organisations with practical tools and resources to engage in active anti-racism.
In 2025, the Commission reported that individuals described racism as being so prevalent that it often appears ‘casual’. In response, the national campaign evolved with a clearer call: There’s nothing casual about racism. The updated materials emphasise collective action, from everyday interactions to the systems, policies and laws that shape our lives.
The campaign is particularly significant for the healthcare sector. As it develops, it focuses on:
- Elevating expertise from First Nations communities and others who experience racism;
- Producing practical information, tools and resources that help supporters and the public address racism; and
- Motivating and supporting people to take action against racism in their workplaces and communities.
To support this work, the Commission has released a suite of fact sheets addressing some of the most persistent myths and misconceptions, including:
- The idea that racism is only about individual actions or beliefs;
- The myth of meritocracy;
- The notion that “not seeing race” is the solution;
- The claim that “racism is a thing of the past”; and
- Misconceptions about anti-racism itself.
These fact sheets build on earlier self-reflection and education guides by unpacking how these myths arise, why they persist, and the ways they influence daily life, offering concise, accessible explanations and practical steps we can take to challenge racism and drive change.
These resources are designed to deepen our understanding of racism as a systemic issue, not just a series of isolated incidents, while providing concrete strategies to respond – personally, professionally and institutionally.
CRANAplus proudly endorses both Racism. It Stops With Me, and There’s nothing casual about racism. We invite our Members and partners to step up: take these resources into your teams, embed them in your practice, and lead change in your workplace so that together we build racism-free organisations, and a racism-free country.
