A Jewish man is suing Officeworks for racial and religious discrimination after a female worker refused to laminate a page of the Australian Jewish News newspaper because it was “pro-Palestine”.
The customer, who was wearing a kippah at the time of the incident, brought an article from the Australian Jewish News to Officeworks in Elsternwick, east of Melbourne, on March 4.
The piece was titled ‘The Indomitable Spirit of Our People’ and featured a photo of a group holding the flags of Australia and Israel.
After seeing the newspaper, the Officeworks worker refused to serve the Jewish man, stating: “I am pro-Palestine.”
She claimed that Officeworks’ policies gave it the right to deny service to the man based on his political beliefs, which Officeworks later clarified was incorrect.
“I don’t feel comfortable continuing with this (the job),” the worker said.
“Maybe there is another staff member who would be comfortable doing this,” the customer asked.
An Officeworks worker refused to laminate the Australian Jewish News because it was “pro-Palestine”
The worker responded: ‘You can wait for Maddie and see if she’s comfortable doing it, but I know I’m not.
“I am pro-Palestine and for political reasons I do not feel comfortable.”
The client questioned whether Officeworks’ policies gave workers discretion in service based on their personal beliefs.
Instead of answering, the worker asked if the man was recording her and threatened to call the police if the man did not leave the store.
The customer has since lodged a complaint with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, alleging that Officeworks discriminated against her race and religion by refusing her service.
“This incident has caused my family and I significant distress and has raised concerns about whether it is safe to visit our local shops and go about our usual activities,” he said.
“No staff member intervened during the situation with the manager, and the embarrassment and harassment we experienced left a lasting impact.”
Officeworks has since apologised but will not fire the employee, instead sending her for “education and training”, including a visit to Melbourne’s Holocaust Museum.
“We can confirm that we have taken this matter extremely seriously and since it occurred we have investigated internally and taken appropriate steps to ensure this does not happen again,” they said.
‘In this particular incident, our policies were incorrectly applied and, according to Officeworks policies, lamination should have been carried out.
‘In addition, we have provided ongoing training and education to our team members so that they are aware of the legal requirements regarding discrimination and Officeworks’ policies and procedures.’
Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, warned that the worker’s behaviour could set a dangerous precedent.
‘Something very wrong is happening in our country, and I am shocked by this ugly and dehumanising outburst of exclusion that is un-Australian and shatters our shared values.
“What’s next? Being denied entry to a restaurant, a club or a medical clinic because you’re wearing a Star of David or have a Jewish-sounding name?
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there were Holocaust survivors here who remembered the Nazi Nuremberg laws that excluded Jews from public life in Germany.”
The manager claimed that Officeworks’ policies gave her the right to deny service to the man based on his own political beliefs, which Officeworks later clarified was incorrect.
The worker threatened to call the police after realizing the man was recording her and asked him to leave the store.
Dr Abramovich called on Australians to stand firm in their fight against discrimination.
“Who would have thought that in Melbourne 2024 people would be denied service because of their faith and in the name of Israel?” he said.
We should have zero tolerance for this type of discrimination and indefensible prejudice.
‘No one should be discriminated against or denied service because of their ethnicity, the country they support, gender, creed, faith or sexual orientation.
‘Being different should be a reason to celebrate, not a burden that exposes us to prejudice.’
“Melbourne is a multicultural and welcoming city and this incident is a stain on its reputation,” he said.
‘It’s time for Officeworks to move beyond just talking the talk, but to act by sending the unequivocal message that Australian Jews and all those who support Israel are welcome in its stores.
‘They should issue a public apology and consider the position of this particular employee.
“I urge the Human Rights Commission and the Government to condemn this unacceptable conduct.”