'Hotbeds' of racism HANNAH MARTIN | July 03, 2011 02.00am
THE University of Tasmania at Sandy Bay and the bus mall at Glenorchy have been labelled hot spots for racial abuse.
Migrant Resource Centre general manager Cedric Manen told the Sunday Tasmanian racism was rife in Tasmania, highlighted by tensions during a recent soccer match.
"Unfortunately racial tension is something that is still prevalent in the community," Mr Manen said.
"Around the uni and bus shelters in Glenorchy there are always reports of racial taunts and now it's unfortunately manifesting itself on the sports field."
He said many victims were scared to speak out about racism.
Low socio-economic areas, such as Glenorchy, were the worst for racism-related problems because residents were less likely to have been exposed to different cultures.
A soccer game between Hobart United and Metro at North Chigwell was abandoned last weekend after a brawl broke out amid racial taunts.
Hobart United is largely made up of Sudanese and Congolese players.
Mr Manen, who also heads the Settlement Council of Australia, the national peak body representing migrant and refugee settlement agencies, said Tasmanian laws were more lenient on the perpetrators of racial abuse than most other states.
He said the MRC was working closely with the Office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner to tackle racial tensions and was involved in targeted awareness campaigns to reduce the problem.
He said most Tasmanians were responding well to the campaigns and were accepting of migrants. "But it only takes one person to move it back a notch, which is unfortunate," Mr Manen said.
He encouraged victims and witnesses of racial abuse to complete an incident report form, available on the OADC website, to help form a register of abuse which authorities could use to develop prevention measures.
The reports were first available in May 2010 and in the first year 35 incidents were lodged. They included reports of eggs being thrown at international students, racial abuse and taunting, physical assaults and property damage.
"They are not isolated incidents," Mr Manen said. "It's a regular occurrence."
Glenorchy Mayor Adriana Taylor slammed suggestions the region was a hotbed of racism.
She said racial tensions were no worse than anywhere else.
"At any bus mall after school hours there are always certain tensions, particularly between the young people from different schools," Ald Taylor said.
"Ours would be no worse than the Hobart bus mall or anywhere else."
She said the council had established two committees and was a partner in a third group established to tackle cultural cohesion.
"We make a big effort to involve the new arrivals in community life," she said.
Ald Taylor dismissed suggestions that low-socio economic areas were more likely to have racial problems.
She said Glenorchy was home to many migrant families because of the amount of public housing in the area and its accessibility for people who lacked their own transport.
She estimated that 15 per cent of new students at two local schools were from migrant families.
"They're a normal part of our community now," Ald Taylor said.
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/07/03/242581_tasmania-news.html