Officeworks in rights row after staffer refused to laminate Jewish newspaper

Stationery giant Officeworks is facing a human rights complaint after a staff member was filmed refusing to laminate a Jewish newspaper because she was pro-Palestine.

Documents filed in May with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and seen by this masthead allege that a Jewish man, who asked to remain anonymous, was denied a laminating service at an Officeworks in Elsternwick because the staff member was uncomfortable.

Footage shows an Officeworks employee refusing to laminate a copy of the Jewish News due to her political beliefs.Credit: YouTube

The incident is the latest in a climate of hostility in Melbourne over the war in Gaza. After Hamas killed 1200 people in an attack on October 7, Israel’s bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza has killed almost 40,000 Palestinians since October and displaced almost 90 per cent of Gazans.

The man, who began filming a video of the March confrontation midway through the exchange, pressed the woman to explain why she would not laminate a page from The Australian Jewish News published earlier this year.

The video begins with the employee handing the newspaper back to the man across the counter.

“I’m pro-Palestine,” the woman says.

“That’s OK,” the man responds. “You’re here to do a job of laminating, not take political – .”

“We have the right to deny jobs,” she says.

The pair exchange more words before the man asks about Officeworks’ policy.

“So Officeworks’ position is that you’re pro-Palestine and you won’t take a laminating job?” he says. “No, that’s my position … because I’m not comfortable proceeding with it.”

A Free Palestine rally in the Melbourne CBD last December.Credit: Wayne Taylor

The woman says she is uncomfortable with the subject matter in an article, before the man challenges her about her views, saying she is in a Jewish community in Elsternwick.

“Israel and Judaism can be completely separate … you can separate the two,” she responds.

One of the pages appears to have the headline “The indomitable spirit of our people” and features an article written by Rabbi Daniel Rabin, a member of the Caulfield Shule.

The staff member then suggests another Officeworks worker might be able to laminate the page, before realising the customer is filming without her consent and telling him to leave.

Officeworks managing director Sarah Hunter said the company had learnt of the incident in March this year and was deeply disappointed.

“The customer’s job should have been performed by the team member,” she said.

“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.”

The company confirmed that relevant Officeworks staff had received education through the Melbourne Holocaust Museum.

“At Officeworks, we do not discriminate against our customers on the basis of political views, religious beliefs, gender, sexuality or race,” it said. “We sincerely regret that this incident occurred and the distress caused to the customer.”

The man is now seeking a declaration that Officeworks breached equal opportunity laws and that he was discriminated against. He is also seeking compensation and legal costs.

Other things sought by the man, that Officeworks apologise and that staff receive training, have already been undertaken by the company.

Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, labelled the actions of the employee “ugly and dehumanising” and encouraged people to reject this kind of behaviour.

“Who would have thought that in Melbourne 2024, people would be denied a service because of their faith and for Israel?

“We should have zero tolerance for this kind of profiling and indefensible prejudice. No one should be singled out or denied service because of their ethnic origin, the country they support, gender, creed, faith, or sexual orientation,” he said.

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