Australia’s largest office supply chain has apologised after a man was denied service when he asked to have a page from a Jewish newspaper laminated.
The incident at Officeworks was captured on video in March and shared on Aug. 1 by Victorian MP David Southwick.
Southwick labelled the content of the video “appalling behaviour” and said he would write to Officeworks.
“This is disgraceful,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In the video, a female manager in the printing section can be seen refusing to laminate a page from the Australian Jewish News.
When asked why, she says “I am pro-Palestinian.”
The Jewish man who was being served said, “That’s okay, you’re here to do a job.”
But the clerk told him Officeworks had a right to deny jobs.
When the customer asks if it was an official Officeworks’ position, she repeated that she was allowed to deny work, and did not feel “comfortable” because she was “pro-Palestinian.”
The Epoch Times understands the incident happened in March, but the customer recently publicised the video to raise awareness.
Disciplinary Action Taken
Officeworks Managing Director Sarah Hunter said the company, which is owned by the Wesfarmers conglomerate, alongside Bunnings, Kmart, and Target in Australia, learned of the incident when it happened it March.“We were deeply disappointed that it occurred and confirm that the customer’s job should have been performed by the team member,” she told The Epoch Times.
“We confirm that we have taken this matter extremely seriously investigated the matter at the time and took appropriate disciplinary action. The views expressed by the team member are not Officeworks’ views.”
Hunter said the chain of retail stores did not discriminate against customers.
“At Officeworks, we do not discriminate against our customers on the basis of political views, religious beliefs, gender, sexuality or race,” she said.
“We provide ongoing training and education to our team members so that they understand the importance of treating all of our customers with respect and dignity.
“Arising out of this incident, relevant team members received education through the Melbourne Holocaust Museum.
Jewish Representative Calls for Woman to be Dismissed
The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) expressed deep concern over the event, which happened to a member of their organisation.“A Jewish man was refused service at Officeworks because he wanted to laminate a copy of a Jewish newspaper,” AJA CEO Robert Gregory told The Epoch Times.
“The employee seemed to think that because she is a ‘Palestinian activist,’ that she was entitled to deny the man service.
“The victim is a member of the Australian Jewish Association and phoned me immediately after the incident.”
Gregory said the incident was a sign that the “free Palestinian” movement was less about helping Palestinians and more a “front for anti-Semitism.”
“Time and again, activists are exposed for targeting members of the Jewish community. It is unacceptable in Australia in 2024,” he said.
“Officeworks must immediately fire this woman, as they would if any other minority was targeted.”
