How is Race Treated in Australia? First Impressions of an Exchange Student in Melbourne
Being from Brazil and moving to the United States, I have had the chance to experience two very distinct societies when it comes to how race is understood and treated. In these two countries, race is understood in fairly different ways, and a person may be considered to be a different race based on the country that they are in, showing how socially constructed this concept is. I think I have such an interest and curiosity about race and racism throughout the world because of my past experiences, and when I came to Australia my interest did not waiver.
It is often stated here in Melbourne that the city, and the country, are very multicultural. This is something that I have heard as a point of pride to many, but also as a “coverup” when the existence of racism in the country is questioned. I have heard people say sentiments along the lines of “We cannot be racist because we are so multicultural.” More than 25% of Australia’s population was born overseas, with the majority coming from the UK, followed by China and then India. In Melbourne, the vast majority of people are European, with only 3.2% of the population being from the Middle East, India or Africa, 0.2% being Aboriginal Australians, 5.8% Asian, and about 13% not identifying with any of the options given. In comparison, Boston, one of Melbourne’s sister cities, is comprised of about 52% of the population who identifies as white, 25% as Black or African American, 9.5% as Asian, 0.4% as Native American or Alaska Native, and the remainder identifying with more than one race or another race.
As multicultural as people may say that Melbourne is, it may not seem so when you are coming from a place like Boston, even though Boston is very segregated within itself. I must acknowledge that I am speaking about this topic from a place of privilege, as I have not experienced anyone being racist towards me while abroad. With that being said, I have noticed racism here countless times. Most often, I have seen that some people tend to be racist towards Asian people. The racism can vary widely, from microaggressions expressed through “jokes” or comments where people blatantly say that they cannot tolerate having group projects with any Asian person followed by a very racist “justification.” One time I even saw on a social media post that a girl was filming an Asian lady and commenting on how “nasty” and “disgusting” Asian people were. This overt racism shocked me and continues to do so when I encounter it here in Australia. I am in no way saying that racism does not exist in Boston, as it absolutely does. Some even say that Boston is one of the most racist cities in the U.S. I am simply pointing out that in my experiences, it seems like the racism in Australia is more overt than in Boston, but I could absolutely be incorrect.
In terms of racism towards Aboriginal people, I have not seen it first hand but my professor for Indigenous Australian Experiences studies anonymously shared some of the sentiments that students wrote on their weekly journal and many were very racist saying things along the lines of “Aboriginal people only drain the country’s economy. They are lazy and do not deserve to receive welfare.” This was particularly shocking to me because we were literally learning about the historical and contemporary reality for Aboriginal Australians and the terrible things that they had to endure due to colonization.
Most of the things I mentioned occur at an individual level, but certainly, there also are systemic inequalities at an institutional level here. I have asked many Australians and people living here if they thought that there was a lot of interpersonal and systemic racism in the country, and most tend to say that there is some racism at least in the interpersonal level. Aboriginal Australians make up less than 3% of the population and almost 30% of the prison population. When it comes to juvenile imprisonment, almost 50% are Indigenous people. Live expectancy is about 10 years lower for Aboriginal Australians compared to non-Aboriginal Australians, and Aboriginal children are disproportionately removed from the care of a loved one. These are just a few examples of systemic discrimination in this country, and the picture can be even grimmer.
I raise this topic not to dissuade anyone from going abroad because I think doing an exchange program is one of the best things you can do while in college. These are just things to be aware of and learn about while you explore a new country. I recognize that for some people, it might also not be a “choice” to learn about race relations in the country they are going to, as they may experience racism there.
