ECCQ’s Research, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Dr John Bosco Ngendakurio, was part of the session “We are not racist” – Ticking The Diversity Box at the FECCA Conference 2024, along with Maia Tua-Davidson, from Welcoming Australia, Aimen Jafri, Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania, and Chandni Kantaria, Lived Experience Presenter.
In his presentation “The Legacies of the Refugee Camps for Work Market Readiness in Australia”, Dr Bosco discussed how pre and post arrival conditions impact people from refugee backgrounds when encountering the Australian labour market, and the ongoing racism they face.
“(Refugees) Are not physically and mentally fit to compete with Australians who haven’t been through most of these things (…) Refugees can’t compete, they are trying to catch up (…) It’s harder to secure a job when in Australia, even if they are overqualified”, he explained.
Presenters tackled racism in different spheres, including sport, reporting race crimes, and race and representation in healthcare. They all provided key recommendations to address racism, such us the need for racial literacy in sporting environments, and posed important questions like: What can we do to make everyone belong?
“Representation matters. We need more people that look like us in health care. We need role models, need to break cultural barriers (…) Question your own privilege: what can you do?”, said Chandni Kantaria.
