Is Australia Post racist? Customer outraged over controversial sign
- Replies 23
Some of us have experienced queuing up at the post office to get a new passport photo, only to be told that we can't have one because their branch doesn’t offer it.
It's frustrating, sure, but it's not the end of the world – after all, there are other places we can go to get our passport photos taken. But what if those other places refused service to someone because of their race?
That's exactly what happened recently at an Australia Post store in Rundle Mall, Adelaide. Shoppers were left shocked after coming across a sign informing customers they could not take 'Indian' photos at the store.
The sign read: 'Due to our lighting and quality of photo background, we, unfortunately, CAN NOT take INDIAN photos!'
They apologised for any 'inconvenience' and told customers needing passports to head to a different location.
'The nearest photo place is Camera House on 120 Grenfell Street. We apologise for the inconvenience.'
However, the simple sign sparked a huge uproar online. Shoppers were confused and outraged by the sign.
Hundreds of users railed at Australia Post on social media, with many of them confused about the 'inconvenience' sign. Some questioned why the sign was even written in the first place.
One person wrote: 'That’s insane, they can’t do that.'
'For the pricing of that sign, they could have fixed the lighting surely?!' said another.
A third questioned: 'So it’s only Indians? Other races with dark complexions OK?'
'How hard is it to change the settings?'
Others thanked the staff of the store for warning them because they didn’t want their photo taken by a racist photographer.
But others jumped to the defence of Australia Post and even reasoned that according to Indian passport regulation, applicants should get a ‘special’ kind of photograph and lighting setup to be approved.
One user vouched and commented: 'It’s likely because the Indian passport office is really finicky about their photo regulations, that’s probably what they meant.'
The notice, according to another man who worked at a 'business that did passport shots' was ridiculous and inappropriate.
'Indian passports require a 51x51mm size which is different to cut/print to Aussie passport shots,' he said.
'They also prefer off-white background colour to pure white like Aus. It’s quite picky and can be annoying for an employee not set up to do it properly and regularly.'
Australia Post has already issued an apology for the unfortunate incident.
'As soon as we were made aware, we immediately removed the sign and have spoken with the team member concerned,' a spokesperson said.
'While the wording of this sign is inexcusable, we understand the Indian Consulate had rejected a number of customers’ passport photos provided by this Post Office. We have reached out to the High Commission of India to understand the issue with the photographs, so we can rectify this urgently.'
They also addressed several concerns raised by the public and highlighted that the company's large majority are culturally diverse.
'It’s especially disappointing given Australia Post prides itself on its commitment to inclusion and diversity both across our workforce and within our communities. We are fully investigating the issue and will take appropriate action,' the spokesperson said.
Whether the 'poor wording' on the post was intentional or not, racism is still a very real problem in our society. And while it might not always be as overt as we would like to think, it can still have a profound effect on those who experience it.
What do you think, folks? Was the sign at the passport store racist or was it just badly worded?
It's frustrating, sure, but it's not the end of the world – after all, there are other places we can go to get our passport photos taken. But what if those other places refused service to someone because of their race?
That's exactly what happened recently at an Australia Post store in Rundle Mall, Adelaide. Shoppers were left shocked after coming across a sign informing customers they could not take 'Indian' photos at the store.
The sign read: 'Due to our lighting and quality of photo background, we, unfortunately, CAN NOT take INDIAN photos!'
They apologised for any 'inconvenience' and told customers needing passports to head to a different location.
'The nearest photo place is Camera House on 120 Grenfell Street. We apologise for the inconvenience.'
There is a sign at the City Cross Australia Post stating that people of Indian descent cannot get their passport photos taken. Credit: Twitter.
However, the simple sign sparked a huge uproar online. Shoppers were confused and outraged by the sign.
Hundreds of users railed at Australia Post on social media, with many of them confused about the 'inconvenience' sign. Some questioned why the sign was even written in the first place.
One person wrote: 'That’s insane, they can’t do that.'
'For the pricing of that sign, they could have fixed the lighting surely?!' said another.
A third questioned: 'So it’s only Indians? Other races with dark complexions OK?'
'How hard is it to change the settings?'
Others thanked the staff of the store for warning them because they didn’t want their photo taken by a racist photographer.
But others jumped to the defence of Australia Post and even reasoned that according to Indian passport regulation, applicants should get a ‘special’ kind of photograph and lighting setup to be approved.
One user vouched and commented: 'It’s likely because the Indian passport office is really finicky about their photo regulations, that’s probably what they meant.'
The notice, according to another man who worked at a 'business that did passport shots' was ridiculous and inappropriate.
'Indian passports require a 51x51mm size which is different to cut/print to Aussie passport shots,' he said.
'They also prefer off-white background colour to pure white like Aus. It’s quite picky and can be annoying for an employee not set up to do it properly and regularly.'
Australia Post has already issued an apology for the unfortunate incident.
'As soon as we were made aware, we immediately removed the sign and have spoken with the team member concerned,' a spokesperson said.
'While the wording of this sign is inexcusable, we understand the Indian Consulate had rejected a number of customers’ passport photos provided by this Post Office. We have reached out to the High Commission of India to understand the issue with the photographs, so we can rectify this urgently.'
They also addressed several concerns raised by the public and highlighted that the company's large majority are culturally diverse.
'It’s especially disappointing given Australia Post prides itself on its commitment to inclusion and diversity both across our workforce and within our communities. We are fully investigating the issue and will take appropriate action,' the spokesperson said.
Whether the 'poor wording' on the post was intentional or not, racism is still a very real problem in our society. And while it might not always be as overt as we would like to think, it can still have a profound effect on those who experience it.
What do you think, folks? Was the sign at the passport store racist or was it just badly worded?
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