Reports to the commission's public inquiry line alleging race discrimination have risen from 470 in the 2016/17 financial year to 630 in 2017/18. Formally lodged complaints jumped from 77 to 136 over the same period.
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Kristen Hilton says the numbers are alarming. "It's unusual to see such a sharp increase in this way. Usually, our complaints figures... in part, it depends on how we're engaging with the community, but, certainly, the community has spoken to us about, as I said, the more frequent types of racism that they have experienced since there's been this media commentary and comments from some politicians around the so-called 'African gang crisis," Hilton said.
Many people of Indian origin say they have had similary experiences in Victoria.
Ankit Khandelwal, who claims to have been stopped from entering a nightclub because of his skin colour, describes the experience as "most humiliating."
"It is the most humiliating experience I have ever had. It made me feel so small and left me wondering, why this could happen," says Khandelwal.
Ankit claims he was refused entry to a Melbourne nightclub.
"The bouncer told me to come out of the line. When I asked the reason, he said I had no band. However, I was ready to pay. Then he said it was a special night which was not the case either. Later I found that many Indians had been refused entry."
Another person of Indian origin, who did not want to reveal his name, shared a similar experience.
Racism highest for indigenous Aussies. Source: AAP
"I had a similar experience in the same club at a different time. They said brown people are not allowed," he said.
Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria chairwoman Kris Pavlidis says the figures would not surprise people from ethnic backgrounds.
"When we look at the cultural groups then, of course, they'll be shocked, they'd be disappointed. I think the communities are trying to work very hard, particularly with the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria, in order to showcase and present the other side," Ms Pavlidis said.
A six-month breakdown of race complaints shows 75 were made in the first half of 2018, compared with 33 over the same period in 2017.
It follows months of political and media controversy over the alleged African gangs in Melbourne. Federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was criticised in January for claiming people were afraid to go out for dinner in Melbourne because of African gang violence. Kristen Hilton says the figures should be a wake-up call for politicians who have made racially divisive statements.
"Some of the comments that we had earlier on in the year from federal politicians, or a federal politician, around Victorians feeling too scared to go out to restaurants at night is not only inaccurate but is undermining of our state, which, as I said, has shown some really great leadership in terms of the way in which it's tried to bring communities together," Ms Hilton Said.
