​​​​​​​​​Draft: 3/08/2021

Racism is not acceptable

Cairns State High School is committed to the elimination of racial discrimination – including direct and indirect racism, racial vilification and harassment – in all aspects of the learning and working environment.

Our strategic focus areas promote equity and inclusion and aim to ensure that no student, staff member or member of the school community should experience racism at school.

Cyber-racism is a form of racism. Online activities or published material that result in offensive comments in relation to a person's race, colour or national or ethnic origin have the same effect as similar offline activities. Cyber racism may present as racial hatred or cyber bullying.

Information about cyberbullying, including cyber racism, online hate and online safety information, can be accessed via the eSafety Commissioner website and is available in several languages.

Racism can take many forms, such as jokes or comments that cause offence or hurt, sometimes unintentionally; name-calling or verbal abuse; harassment or intimidation, or commentary in the media or online that inflames hostility towards certain groups. At its most serious, racism can result in acts of physical abuse and violence. Racism can directly or indirectly exclude people from accessing services or participating in employment, education, sport and social activities. It can also occur at a systemic or institutional level through policies, conditions or practices that disadvantage certain groups. It often manifests through unconscious bias or prejudice. On a structural level, racism serves to perpetuate inequalities in access to power, resources and opportunities across racial and ethnic groups. The belief that a particular race or ethnicity is inferior or superior to others is sometimes used to justify such inequalities.
— Australian Human Rights Commission, National Anti-Racism Strategy,
July 2012, page 4

If you are the victim of racist behaviour

• If you are assaulted or threatened with violence, contact the police. In an emergency or life threatening situation, call Triple Zero (000) and ask for police. If you need police assistance, but there is no immediate danger, call the Police Assistance Line (131 444).
• If there is no violence involved, and if it's safe to do so, you may want to deal with the situation yourself by raising it directly with the person or people involved.
• Issues which occur at school between students need to be reported to your child's Deputy Principal. Complete the Report form on page 31 of the Code of Conduct for students and submit in person or by email to the relevant Deputy Principal.
  
• Should you have a complaint about a staff member or school process/policy, please email complaints@cairnsshs.eq.edu.au
• Issues which you believe are beyond resolution at school level can be submitted to
• Education Queensland Far North Regional Contact in Cairns is Principal Education officer - Regional Services – ​Policy and Communications Team 07 4037 3822 ​ or RegionalServices.FNQ@qed.qld.gov.au  ​
  
• Queensland Government Complaints and Compliments page