The Sport, Race and Ethnicity congress is made possible with the generous support of conference partners the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). Both of these organisations are committed to policies and programs that support cultural diversity and anti-discrimination in Australian society.

Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

The goal of AHRC is to foster greater understanding and protection of human rights in Australia and to address the human rights concerns of a broad range of individuals and groups.  The Commission's responsibilities include:

• education and public awareness
• discrimination and human rights complaints
• human rights compliance
• policy and legislative development

We do this through:

• resolving complaints of discrimination or breaches of human rights under federal laws
• holding public inquiries into issues of national importance, such as forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families and the rights of children in immigration detention centres
• developing human rights education programs and resources for schools, workplaces and the community
• providing independent advice to assist courts in cases that involve human rights principles
• providing advice and assistance to parliaments and governments to develop laws, program and policies
• undertaking and coordinating research into human rights and discrimination issues.

The Commission is responsible for administering the federal laws:

• Age Discrimination Act 2004
• Disability Discrimination Act 1992
• Racial Discrimination Act 1975
• Sex Discrimination Act 1984
• Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Act 1986.

AHRC is a proud sponsor of the Sport, Race and Ethnicity Conference, 30 Nov – 2 Dec 2008. 

Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC)

Through its Community Relations funding programs and its national celebration of cultural diversity, Harmony Day, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship provides support to organisations that promote respect, fairness, inclusion and a sense of belonging for all Australians.
The Department administers the Government’s key anti-racism program that aims to address issues of cultural, racial and religious intolerance.  The program is primarily a community-based education initiative that employs a range of funding and information activities.

As part of this strategy, the Department has supported numerous organisations, including major national sporting entities, that have promoted these values through programs and events which have employed sport as a means of bringing people together.

Sport is a potentially powerful vehicle through which to foster the development of an inclusive and cohesive society, and the Department is pleased to be a principal sponsor of the Sport, Race and Ethnicity Conference 2008.

AHRC/DIAC collaboration

In 2007 AHRC released the report What's the Score: A Survey ofCultural Diversity and Racism in Australian Sport, research that was funded by DIAC. The report is an audit of the existing strategies that have been adopted by selected sporting organisations, codes, government and non-government sport agencies and human rights institutions, both domestically and internationally, to combat racism and prejudice in sport. This document and its recommendations will be the subject of discussion and debate at the Sport, Race and Ethnicity Conference, 30 Nov – 2 Dec 2008.

 
http://www.hreoc.gov.au/racial_discrimination/whats_the_score