Officeworks extends its apology
Officeworks’ managing director has extended her apology to the customer who was refused service in their Elsternwick store by a pro-Palestinian employee to the entire Australian Jewish community.
Sarah Hunter
Sarah Hunter issued a media release stating: “In November 2023, I proudly signed the open letter denouncing antisemitism and calling for all Australians to be treated with respect, inclusivity and dignity.
In March 2024, we were alerted to a matter involving a customer in one of our stores. We took the matter very seriously and investigated the complaint within 48 hours. At the time, we concluded that the incident was linked to ignorance, not malice.
Disciplinary measures were implemented with the team member including a final warning, additional training and relocation to a different store. These actions were appropriate given the youth, inexperience and clear remorse of the team member.
As education is of paramount importance in such a situation, the team member was also required to visit the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. The impact on the team member was profound and their remorse deep and genuine.”
Officeworks employs 9,500 across Australia. She wrote: “We strive to maintain the safety and dignity of our team members, suppliers and customers and invest significant resources to educate our team on our expectations of appropriate and respectful conduct towards all people. We are clear that there is no place for discrimination, intolerance or racism in our team and business.”
She concluded by writing: “Again, I express my disappointment and deep regret that the incident occurred, as it does not reflect our ways of working and our values. We apologised to the customer at the time, and I take this opportunity to repeat our apology to him, and extend it to the broader community for the hurt and upset it has caused.”
Liberal State MP David Davis brought up the issue in the Victorian parliament,
Shameful antisemitic incident at the Elsternwick OfficeWorks branch. While it’s heartening to read Sarah Hunter’s reply on an OfficeWorks official media release, it’s also disingenuous to release it five months after the incident, at a time when there was a concern about litigation, and a strong public reaction from the wider Jewish Community.
The Jewish community’s response in taking OfficeWorks staff to the Holocaust Museum (as is done in the US and the UK) is a good start, but it’s with a focus on ‘dead jews’. OfficeWorks DEI training might include the involvement of Jews in the community doing outreach on Jewish values, Israelis in conversation with staff about our history in the middle East, Israel’s diverse cultures, Arab Muslim political representation in the Knesset, and more. And remember the ongoing trauma of the person who was subjected to the abuse. He and his family are now considering leaving Australia to Israel.