Empty chairs at the racism inquiry risk becoming the story, not the remedy

The point of holding national hearings on racism and hate violence is to listen — and then to act. Across hearings held around the country, witnesses have laid bare how racism affects their lives. Yet repeated absences by key decision makers, symbolised by dozens of empty chairs, raise a hard question: who was there to hear testimony and carry it into policy? The witnesses’ accounts are the heart of this process. They tell of damage to people’s dignity, safety and opportunity. If political and administrative leaders choose not to attend, those accounts risk being archived as testimony rather than turned into change. That gap threatens to hollow out public trust in the inquiry itself. An inquiry without engaged decision makers looks like theatre. Worse, it allows sceptics to argue that the process is for show rather than substance. The remedy is simple in principle and demanding in practice: ministers and senior officials must be present for key hearings, publicly commit to responding in measurable ways, and accept independent follow‑up to track outcomes. There are reasonable reasons why some decision makers cannot attend every hearing. But where absence is the norm, organisers must ensure direct lines from testimony to policy owners — documented commitments, timetables and reporting back to the community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities deserve more than symbolic listening; they need concrete, accountable steps to address hate, violence and systemic discrimination. If the inquiry is to matter, it must be judged by what changes for those who gave evidence. That means an immediate published plan showing who is responsible for recommendations, how victims will be supported, and how future hearings will be structured to guarantee decision‑maker engagement. Ordinary Australians should be able to see that testimony becomes action, not just headlines. An inquiry can be the start of healing and reform, but only if those in power choose to show up — literally and politically. Empty chairs cannot be allowed to become the final image of this national effort.