Racism's back in the headlines this week, after two high-profile football identities made race-based comments about indigenous players. First was the NSW State of Origin assistant coach Andrew Johns, sledging a player over the colour of their skin; Apparently he's got a reputation for it; Then in Melbourne on Wednesday, the former AFL coach Mal Brown dropped some appalling quips about Aboriginal players at a charity lunch.

Well it's interesting that just the night before, 5 minutes down the road at Melbourne Town Hall, there was a debate going on over whether Australia is still struggling with its racist past. It was part of the St James Ethics Centre's "Intelligence Squared" series; And we thought it'd be good to hear from speakers on either side of the debate.

First, we spoke to Haneefa Deen. She's an award-winning author, and third-generation Pakistani Australian; She's worked with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, and is former Deputy Commissioner of the Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission of West Australia;

We also caught up with Dr Tanveer Ahmed; He says Australia has moved on from its racist past; and is a very successful multicultural society. Tanveer's a psychiatrist, and a Sydney Morning Herald columnist who often writes on the issue of racism.

Tell us your views.

Is Australia racist?  

How do we compare to other nations?

And are comments about skin colour ok if you're 'just bantering with friends', or is that unacceptable in any context?

Share your stories, experiences, and views.