Earlier this week, the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet underwent a series of 'diversity and inclusion' consultations called Respect at Work training, which aims to improve workplace relations.

As part of the changes that will be happening in their workplace, government ministers were reportedly advised to give up drinking alcohol in the office, yelling at colleagues, and gossiping about staff.

But the rule that caused the most outrage amongst the members was the ban on using the word "mate" when referring to each other in the office.

Perrottet government ministers have been told to avoid using the word "mate" in conversation. Credit: Australian Workplace Training.​

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, one minister said: "I use 'mate' all the time – it's as Australian as you can get. How can it be offensive?"

"We're not allowed to have individual opinions. We have to engage in group thought… This is straight out of 1984," added a second minister.

Meanwhile, Veterans Minister David Elliott took issue with the alcohol ban, saying he keeps a bottle of whiskey in his office to "placate (his) parliamentary colleagues".

Other rules indicate that all staff must be invited out to after-work drinks to ensure 'inclusivity' while work tasks must be fairly divided between senior and junior colleagues.

Veterans Minister David Elliott took issue with the alcohol ban. Credit: NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard.​

The Respect at Work training sessions are estimated to have cost taxpayers $202,000 and are expected to be run regularly by an external 'diversity and inclusion' consultant.

The initiative for the Respect at Work training came after former sex discrimination commissioner Pru Goward was ordered by former premier Gladys Berejiklian to make a review regarding the NSW government's bullying and harassment policies.

Some recommendations included proper investigative and reporting procedures to address bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct in the workplace.

What are your thoughts, folks? Is calling a colleague “mate” in the workplace offensive? What did you call your colleagues?

And are these rules progressive and effective, or do you think this whole "woke" movement is getting out of hand?

 

[Lizzy]

Fair dinkum MATE, this crap has to stop. The fish rots from the head first. These w...kers are rotting our society from the head. What else can we, the down trodden, usurped Australian individual citizens do? How could Pru and Gladys have started this without some sort of community approval. After all, both of them are public servants, paid by us, and their positions give them no more rights than you and I to instigate stupid mandates like this. It just goes to prove how stupid people in power can be.

Gladys only asked Pru to come up with a more respectful way of communicating with each other, she never got the chance to see what eventuated.. And the new bloke went into the 21/2 hr conference and came out denouncing it as un Australian.

 

[Defiant540]

I would much rather be called mate than 'love', 'darl' or 'madam'.

totally!

 

[JustPat]

Political correctness has got a lot to answer for as it as gone berserk.

 

[EllenS]

I don't know if you would, he was so lovely and it really was a lovely way to address us. I (having very straight hair) wouldn't have minded being curly

Mine is very short, worn spiked and is purple - also dead straight.