The inquiry is focusing on online racism, reporting and how incidents are dealt with. Photo: Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash.
The Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs will hold hearings on Thursday Island and in Cairns and Brisbane as it examines racism, hate and violence directed at Indigenous people – and the social media giant behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other platforms is in the spotlight.
The Commonwealth institution has been exploring the prevalence, impacts and drivers of racism, hate and violence focusing on online racism, reporting and how governments and institutions can better respond to incidents.
Public inquiry hearings will be held in the Queensland capital on Tuesday 28 July, followed by the Far North hearings in Cairns on 29 and 30 July and on Thursday Island on 31 July.
The inquiry began on 4 March following a referral from Indigenous Australians Minister Senator Malarndirri McCarthy.
Joint Standing Committee chair Senator Jana Stewart said United States multinational tech company Meta would give evidence.
“The upcoming hearings will allow the committee to hear from a range of key stakeholders for this inquiry, including the Australian Human Rights Commission, Australia’s principle human rights organisation,” she said.
“Meta will also be appearing to give evidence, presenting a crucial opportunity for direct accountability given the clear focus on online racism in the submissions and the harms associated with social media platforms in particular.”
Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs chair Senator Jana Stewart. Photo: Supplied.
The committee said the final Thursday Island hearing showed commitment to ensuring the experiences and interests of Torres Strait Islander communities formed an integral part of the inquiry.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and LGBTQIA+ members of the community were urged to speak up about their own experiences of racism, and the kind of changes they wanted to see.
The committee said in a statement it invited state government agencies such as Queensland Police, Corrective Services, the State Emergency Service and Queensland Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety – but the organisations declined to appear.
Witnesses who are due to appear include individuals with lived experience of racism, alongside representatives of the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Carumba Institute, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) and local government organisations.
Other witnesses include youth and LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups, social services experts and community organisations, as well as members of the legal and justice, university and health sectors.
Evidence gathered during the Brisbane, Cairns and Thursday Island hearings will be used in the committee’s final report to parliament.
More information on the inquiry, including the terms of reference and the public hearing program, is available on the committee’s website.
Anyone who would like to attend as an observer should contact the committee secretariat via email at [email protected], or by phone: (02) 6277 4559.
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Original Article published by Luke Mortimer on Region Tropical North Queensland.
