102712 First Nations & Criminal Justice: Racial Tolerance Act Review

This report provides a critical review of the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act in Australia, enacted in 2001 to promote racial and religious tolerance and address discrimination faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It highlights the historical context, including the discrimination faced by Indigenous communities in areas such as employment, healthcare, and social services, leading to high crime rates and suicide. The review discusses the implementation of the act, its impact on ensuring equal treatment and freedom of expression, and the government's commitment to eliminating racial and religious discrimination. The report concludes that the act has played a vital role in decreasing discrimination and promoting diversity, offering hope for further progress in achieving equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. Desklib offers a range of similar solved assignments and past papers for students.

CRITICAL REVIEW

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Critically understanding of the racial and religious tolerance act...............................................3
The implementation of the racial and religious tolerance act ....................................................4
Importance of the racial and religious tolerance act...................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
The laws and policies plays an important role in order to maintain the legal environment of the
country. This report will provide a critical review on the racial and religious tolerance act. This
act was implemented in Australia. The report will describe the main reason of implementing this
act. ABORIGINAL OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE are one of the community in
Australia. This community has faced many racial and religious challenges. A group of
ABORIGINAL OR STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE have been ejected from the night club due to
false allegation by a female in terms of groped her. Without any enquiry they were beaten by the
security guards. The racial and religious tolerance act enables the public to fight against the
discrimination they are facing. The report will highlight all the key aspects in relation of this act.
MAIN BODY
Critically understanding of the racial and religious tolerance act
This act was introduced in the year 2001. The aim of this act is to promote the racial and
religious tolerance in the Australia. This act puts a focus on expressing the freedom and treating
everyone equal in the country. This act enables the people to file a complaint against any kind of
discrimination they are facing. It ensures them a justice. This law was taken into account in the
year 2002. The Victoria & Southern Australia, these were the two states that focuses on
establishing the racial & religious act. In Australia this law was needed to implement because
ABORIGINAL & STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE were facing large ratio of discrimination. It
was the mentality of the public, that this community was the main reason behind happening of
any wrong event.
The community is facing number of discrimination and those are lack of medical
disability services, no home & no care services, lack of education, lack of employment, broken
families, high crime rates. ABORIGINAL OR STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE have no job
opportunities. (den Heijer, 2018) As a result, they do not have even enough money in order to
full-fill their basic needs. Therefore, it has been believed by many people in Australia that, this
community is going towards the path of crime such as, theft, murder in order to have some
money. So, they can full-fill their basic needs. They have faced discrimination in every aspect.
Due to these issues ABORIGINAL AND STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE have committed

suicide. They do not have longer desire to live. In order to protect their interest the racial &
religious law was taken into an account. (Hoang and Reich, 2017). The main component of this
law is that every person has right to express their freedom. No-one get judge by on the basis of
their religion or background. In the eyes of constitution, everyone is equal.
The implementation of the racial and religious tolerance act
The government enacted this law in 2001. And commenced on 1 January 2002. This law took a
long time in order to come into existence. Various discussion has been done by the government
in order to implement this law. As per the view of Shirodkar (2019) stated that. This law took
this much time because, it contains various elements regarding the colour of the people, the
background of the people. This law has been adopted by the government after the various protest
of the employers. In year 2000 the Victorian employers make demand in terms of having equal
treatment at the work place. They had an issue of unequal treatment at the workplace.
They demanded the safe and fair environment. This was the starting point of this act.
Afterwards, it has been found that, most of the people are facing the issue of discrimination in
the community. ABORIGINAL & STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE community was facing the
topmost unequal treatment. In relation of this act, one more law was introduced in Australia in
the year 2004 and that was religious freedom. The racial discrimination act was enacted very
earlier in the year 1975. But, it took a long time for come into an existence. In 2001, this law
again came with new in 2001, this law again came with new demands and the bill has been
prepared under the parliament. The bill got pass from certain stages and finally the law was
enacted.
Importance of the racial and religious tolerance act
The law itself says that there is enough of tolerance. The government of Australia has made a
commitment towards the public that soon the country is going to be from the racial and religious
discrimination the government is completely focusing on their commitment. (Hopkins, 2020).
The government has proven efficient in full-filling their commitment towards the public.
Community of ABORIGINAL OR STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE got the highest support from
government in terms of this law. This law has provided them an assurance of getting equal
treatment. And the government made their commitment. Earlier the community did not get
medical care services. But, now government has launched certain programmes under this law in
order to provide them free medical services.

They got a full right of filing case against the unequal treatment. The government took
various action into this. Still, the government is focusing on adding more innovation in this law
in terms of saving the interest of ABORIGINAL AND STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE. There are
various discussions has been taken into parliament regarding the religious and racial
discrimination taking place in the country. And many laws are in process, soon they are going to
come into existence. (Ann Martin, 2021). This law has provided an expected result. The ratio of
discrimination has been declined in the country. Soon, the complete declination will take place as
the government is completely focusing on this and strict actions has been made against this.
CONCLUSION
It has been summarised from the above study that racial and religious act plays a vital role in
helping out ABORIGINAL AND TORRES ISLANDER. This act has decreased discrimination

that people used to do on the basis of race. It educated people and highlighted importance of
freedom of expression. It allowed ABORIGINAL AND TORRES ISLANDER to participate in
social and other activities and getting an equal as well as fair opportunities as like other citizens
in society. It has further discussed some rules and regulations of this act and areas where people
were required to apply this act in order to decrease discrimination on the basis of race. Overall,
the main aim of this act was promoting diversity at workplace and in societies. It has further
shown benefits that ABORIGINAL AND TORRES ISLANDER took after implementation of
this act at workplaces and societies.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ann Martin, C., 2021. The Backward Stock of the South: The Metaphoric Structuring of Italian
Racial Difference in 1920s Australia. Journal of Intercultural Studies. 42(4). pp.440-459.
den Heijer, M., 2018. Visas and Non-discrimination. European Journal of Migration and
Law. 20(4). pp.470-489.
Hoang, K. and Reich, S., 2017. Managing crime through migration law in Australia and the
United States: a comparative analysis. Comparative migration studies. 5(1). pp.1-24.
Hopkins, T., 2020. Racial profiling in contemporary Australian policing. Precedent (Sydney,
NSW), (161), pp.4-9.
Shirodkar, S., 2019. Bias against Indigenous Australians: Implicit association test results for
Australia. Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues. 22(3-4). pp.3-34.