Racial Profiling, Policing and Lack of Accountability

Abstract

On 8th May 2023 following from decades of agitation by Aboriginal leaders, families and organisations, Victoria’s Chief Commissioner of Police issued an apology for the systemic racism, racist attitudes and discriminatory actions of police towards Aboriginal people and committed to ‘address systemic racism, unconscious bias or unequal use of discretionary power in outcomes’ (Yoorrook Justice Commission Transcript, 8 May 2023, p 496, 497). While the apology felt momentous, given the history of police racism in Victoria, how much faith can communities really place in the Chief Commissioner’s commitment to change? In this chapter I explore what it would take for police and the government in Vic..