At RMIT, we hold ourselves to the highest standard and reject all racism and religious discrimination within our University.
Our commitment to anti-racism
RMIT University is proud of its rich and diverse multi-cultural and multi-faith community.
We are deeply committed to protecting the right of every member of our community to learn, interact and participate fully in university life, with a clear sense that they are welcome, they are safe, and they belong.
Through education, accountability and action, we will work together to build a more inclusive future for all.
The work builds on our commitment to Responsible Practice – challenging bias and taking action to remove barriers and elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Building on Responsible Practice and our previous IDEA Framework and Cultural Inclusion Action Plan initiatives, RMIT’s Anti-Racism and Religious Discrimination Commitment and Action Plan was published in August 2026.
RMIT’s Anti-Racism and Religious Discrimination Commitment
At RMIT University, we will protect the right of every member of our community to learn, interact and participate fully in university life, confident that they are welcome, they are safe, and they belong.
Racism and religious discrimination are deeply felt and generationally entrenched, woven into our social fabric, undermining equity, wellbeing and trust across our community. We acknowledge this harm, both historic and present, and we are resolute in our determination to change it.
We are a proud, diverse, multi-cultural, and multi-faith community. As a place of learning, we hold ourselves to the highest standard and reject all racism and religious discrimination within our University. We commit with courage to actively reduce and ultimately eliminate it.
This reflects our Bundjil Statement and our promise to live and work respectfully on the unceded land of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It frames how we educate, research, govern and conduct ourselves.
Respect underpins the way we engage with each other. We embrace freedom of speech and academic freedom, but never at the expense of respect, and never as cover for harassment, vilification, intimidation or discrimination.
Racism in all its forms is a lived reality for many in our community: our First Nations students and staff, our Asian, African, Jewish and Muslim communities, and our international students. Whether casual, interpersonal, systemic or politically motivated, we reject it wherever and against whoever it occurs.
We commit to:
- Advancing justice, equity, diversity and inclusion across our systems, policies, education and research.
- Monitoring discrimination through trusted data, trauma-informed processes and transparent governance.
- Resourcing clear, accessible, culturally capable complaints processes, led with accountability.
- Supporting staff and students through trauma-informed, culturally safe services that catch harm early.
- Educating our people to build racial and religious literacy grounded in lived experience and evidence.
- Embedding anti-racism and cultural responsiveness across curriculum, teaching and assessment.
- Recruiting and growing diverse talent through equitable pathways and leadership development.
- Investing in research and partnerships that advance racial and religious inclusion sector-wide.
- Being accountable for naming racism and religious discrimination when we see it, and acting o/n it, not looking away.
In this way, we will actively work to dismantle racism, taking accountability as individuals and as an institution of influence.
Our approach
Addressing racism and religious discrimination requires sustained action, long-term commitment and cultural change across every part of the University. RMIT's approach provides the framework for implementing our Commitment and Action Plan and ensuring meaningful, lasting impact.
Developed through consultation with students and staff and informed by leading practice and research, our approach recognises that racism and religious discrimination can occur through individual behaviours as well as systemic barriers embedded within organisational policies, practices and cultures.
Our approach is guided by four change principles:
Principles of change
Consciously evolving mindsets
Actively build racial and religious literacy to foster inclusion and belonging.
Equitable systems
Recognise and address racism and religious discrimination, applying a systems and structural lens, even when challenging.
Shared power
Amplify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, racially diverse and faith-diverse voices in decision-making and solution design.
Sustained wellbeing
Monitor and mitigate cultural load and fatigue for those contributing lived experience to drive change.
Our approach is also guided by four pillars that help us prevent and respond to racism and religious discrimination across the University:
Pillars of change
1. Acknowledge
Recognise racism and religious discrimination, elevate lived experiences, and build shared understanding for action.
2. Understand
Build understanding of racism and religious discrimination through evidence, lived experience and learning.
3. Respond
Strengthen safe, accountable reporting and response processes that ensure timely action and support.
4. Prevent
Embed anti-racism and religious inclusion into policies, practices and culture to prevent harm.
Together, these principles and pillars guide implementation of the Action Plan and support long-term, sustainable change across RMIT.
Anti-Racism and Religious Discrimination Action Plan
Our Anti-Racism and Religious Discrimination Action Plan outlines the practical actions RMIT will take to prevent and address racism and religious discrimination across the University. Guided by our commitment and approach, it provides a roadmap for action, accountability and continuous improvement.
Shaped by feedback from students and staff, the plan focuses on nine key areas that influence the everyday experiences of our community, from leadership, learning and teaching, and workforce practices, to complaints processes, support services and creating racism-free environments.
The plan establishes a clear roadmap for action, accountability and continuous improvement, helping build a university where everyone can thrive and belong.
Policies and conduct
All RMIT students and staff are subject to behavioural expectations and conduct requirements in accordance with the University’s core values and policies.
The safety of our community is vital. We all have a duty to ensure our students, staff, and campus visitors are not subjected to violence, threats, harassment or intimidation. Our policies provide the basis for addressing actions or behaviour that adversely impact other members of our community.
The relevant policies include:
Support for students and staff
Students and staff can access a range of RMIT services, if they need support including:
- Safer Community – support for RMIT students and staff personally experiencing unwanted, uncomfortable or threatening behaviour. This includes threats or hate speech, discrimination, assault, stalking, image-based abuse or family violence
- Campus Security – immediate safety concerns or assistance on campus (or in an emergency dial 000). Download the SafeZone app – it connects you instantly to Campus Security, First Aid, or Emergency support if you need it
- SafetyNow – report safety incidents or concerns. Your username is your email address (e.g. s1234567@student.rmit.edu.au or jane.smith@rmit.edu.au). Remember to select ‘yes’ to report a confidential incident
- RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services – provides currently enrolled students with free, confidential and professional short-term counselling
- Support and services – Explore the full range of support services available to RMIT students
- Student complaints – if you are not satisfied with an academic, administrative or support service at RMIT, you can make a complaint
- RMIT staff can access counselling and coaching through the Employee Assistance Program or People Support through Service Connect (login required)
