More than Tolerance

Addressing discrimination affecting migrant and refugee communities

Discrimination is not only an issue of social justice. There is growing evidence that it can have a devasating impact on health.

There is increasing recognition internationally that discrimination affecting people from diverse cultural backgrounds is a common problem, with serious health, social and economic consequences for affected individuals and their families. Discrimination is also costly to business and government and undermines the benefits of cultural diversity. 

Discrimination represents a significant public health concern, with over 24% of Victorians being born overseas, three-quarters of whom were born in countries where English was not the main language spoken. One in five Victorians speaks a language other than English at home and 44% have at least one parent born in a country other than Australia. 

Discrimination is also a violation of human rights, both in itself and because it compromises the enjoyment of other human rights. This includes the right to health, a fundamental human right to which VicHealth is strongly committed. As well as affecting individuals, discrimination has the potential to harm us all. 

This report summarises a program of research conducted by VicHealth in partnership with a team of researchers to address the problem. This research was undertaken to:

• raise awareness of the seriousness of the problem of discrimination affecting people from migrant and refugee backgrounds;
• provide data and information to guide efforts to address the problem by both VicHealth and others; and
• provide benchmark data against which to monitor progress in reducing discrimination.

More than Tolerance: the Project

This project has been undertaken in the context of VicHealth's mental health promotion plan A Plan for Action 2005-2007 and VicHealth's 2006-2009 Strategic Priorities. The program of research documented in this publication was designed to raise awareness of the health consequences of discrimination, to document its extent and to explore attitudes that support intolerant behaviours. Importantly, it also investigates ways of addressing the problem. Its primary focus is on discrimination affecting people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. However, many of its findings will also be useful in guiding work to address discrimination affecting other groups, most notably Indigenous Victorians.

It provides information that will enable VicHealth and other government and non-government organisations to plan future strategies to support welcoming and accepting environments for people from a range of cultural backgrounds. It includes:

• A survey of experiences of discrimination and intolerance, and of community attiudes toward race, diversity, prejudice and privilege
• A review of the latest studies exploring the link between race and ethnic discrimination and health
• Research on what is known about factors that can influence the development of attitudes toward people from diverse backgrounds
• A review of strategies and approaches proven effective in building welcoming and accepting attitudes and environments  
• A review of campaigns that have been conducted to address community attitudes toward diversity and prejudice so that future activity can build on the lessons learned from past work.

Project Publications

More than tolerance: Embracing diversity for health

More than tolerance: Embracing diversity for health
 Discrimination affecting migrant and refugee communities in Victoria, its health consequences, community attitudes and solutions

• More than tolerance A summary report (PDF) 
• More than tolerance A condensed summary (PDF) 

 PLEASE NOTE: The following publications are available only as PDFs.

A review of communication components of anti-racism and prodiversity social marketing/public education campaigns
Donovan, RJ & Vlais, R 2006, (Paper 1), Report to VicHealth by RJ D Consulting Pty Ltd.

• Paper 1 of the Discrimination Community Attitudes Project (PDF)

Strangers in our midst? Intolerance and discrimination toward minority cultural groups in Victoria
Forrest, J & Dunn, K 2007, Report to VicHealth

• Paper 2 of the Discrimination Community Attitudes Project (Available late 2007)

“Talk does not cook rice”: Beyond anti-racism rhetoric to strategies for social action
Pedersen, A, Walker, I & Wise, M 2005, from Australian Psychologist, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 20–30 

• Paper 3 of the Discrimination Community Attitudes Project (PDF)

Antiracism and Indigenous Australians
Paradies, Y 2005, from Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, vol 5, pp. 1-28

• Paper 4 of the Discrimination Community Attitudes Project (PDF)

A systematic review of empirical research on self-reported racism and health
Paradies, Y 2006, from International Journal of Epidemiology (Paper 5), 35(4), pp. 888-901

• Paper 5 of the Discrimination Community Attitudes Project (PDF)