An Aboriginal woman claims she was overlooked for promotions because her superiors preferred her to remain in the classroom, citing her exceptional work with Aboriginal students as the reason.

“The situation left me devastated,” she recounted, adding that her colleagues witnessed the incident but failed to support her.

“Many expect racism to manifest as overt, aggressive acts,” she continued. “However, it often appears in subtle ways, like repeatedly confronting the same barriers throughout our careers.”

Workplace racism could take the form of a lack of recognition of skills for some migrants or forcing some groups to undertake English proficiency tests, Sivaraman said.

“An inquiry into racism at work has the potential to … change workers’ lives and workplaces for the better,” Australian Council of Trade Unions president Michele O’Neil said.