Anger over Australian supermarket 'no Indians' job ad

[alp227]

Source: BBC

An Australian supermarket's cleaning firm has sparked outrage by posting an advert for staff that stipulated: "No Indians or Asians please."

The advert, posted on the Gumtree website, appealed for cleaners at a Coles supermarket in Hobart.

The authorities say they are investigating for race discrimination.

Coles, Australia's second-biggest chain, said the advert was posted by a sub-contractor who was no longer connected to the company.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19404379

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It's the 21st century, and people STILL think like this?????

[AsahinaKimi]

1. I am sure there must be some places

around the Good Ol' USA that have had similar notices.

[Ken Burch]

3. As of 1964, not legally there aren't.

(at least, as far as I know...that may BECOME legal again if Romney/Ryan get elected).

[primavera]

4. What happened in 1964?

I thought that these days, with right-to-work laws being what they are, employers could pretty much discriminate on any basis they liked.

[Ken Burch]

5. UH...the passage of the Civil Rights Act...

the act that made signs and hiring policies like that illegal in this country. LBJ had his faults, but that was his greatest moment.

[azurnoir]

6. Don't forget that when he signed it he said

he was handing the South to the Republicans for next 4(?) generations, seems like he was right too

[Ken Burch]

8. that quote is burned into my mind

I think, on that occasion, that the Democratic Party, flawed as it is, made what will eventually be reckoned as most heroic political sacrifice in American history.

[JoeyT]

9. It depends on who you're discriminating against.

http://mobile.craigslist.org/lab/3208557090.html
No women or non-Christians wanted.

Took me about five seconds to come up with that because I knew there would be at least one in the search.

[JI7]

10. that made me laugh

[Ken Burch]

11. Great....just great...

What would they do if a nun showed up to apply?

[Swagman]

13. I am happy to be corrected but I missed

the passages in the Bible about Christian roofers.

[Ken Burch]

2. The last vestige of the mindset that created the "White Australia" policy?

[BlueJazz]

7. I understand the thought processes in the Ad. There are some pretty racist people in Australia and

..Tasmania. I visit there as often as I can. (plus being a citizen).

It's not nearly as hateful and mean as being a racist here but it's still disgusting.
I believe, in time, the feelings will subside.
Not making excuses...I just understand it.

[TheMadMonk]

12. And selection criteria requiring specific language skills for cleaning jobs?

Apparently those are legal, because it's an aquirable SKILL and not at all discriminatory. The nice girl on the other end of the phone at "Fairwork" told me that this was standard practice for a lot of service industry contractors and sub-contractors. They also told me I did not want the job anyway, because chances were very good that I'd be underpaid and otherwise cheated.

Asian and Indian employers here in Australia (also I believe the UK and large chunks of the Pacific) are rather notorious for discriminating against applicants with English as their first language, because it makes it that much easier to exploit their own kind, when they aren't made aware of the considerable protections available to them under Australian workplace laws.

It might not be right, but I can UNDERSTAND an Australian employer lashing back in kind.