WHY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ACTIVELY DISCRIMINATES ON THE BASIS OF AGE AND APPEARANCE AND WHY TOURISM AUSTRALIA’S JOB AD PISSED ME OFF!

Thursday, 28 March 2013

I am what many describe as a “mature job seeker”. I’m aged 51 now. There, I’ve said it. It’s “out there” as they say.

So, this morning, I receive an email from CareerOne headed “The Best Jobs in the World”. I’ve seen this nonsense before. Work on a desert island, blah, blah, blah.

Part of the email reads:

“Tourism Australia's Best Jobs In The World campaign is back and this time CareerOne and the Monster job network are onboard for the ride. We've partnered in a global initiative to boost the temporary and casual job market in Australia. Aside from the 6 "Best Jobs" featured at australia.com/bestjobs, 1000s more temporary and casual jobs can be accessed via CareerOne's dedicated microsite below...”

So, I accessed the site and came across a job wanted ad for a “Lifestyle Photographer”, Melbourne, Australia. I live in Melbourne. Tick. I’m a photographer. Tick. I also write. Tick. I now have three blogs – and counting.

So, on the face of it, I’m qualified for this role. Tick. But wait … there’s more.

You see, when you express your interest in the role, you are required to state your age. YOUR AGE! Here we go again. From the outset, the Australian Government - “Tourism Australia is the Government of Australia agency responsible for promoting Australia to the world as a destination for business and leisure travel” - requests information that under normal circumstances it would be unlawful for most employers to request. I imagine for this role, that, anyone aged over 25 will be considered “dead in the water” and unemployable. So, I enter my details, but not my real age. I state that I’m younger by ten years. Just to see what happens next.

The next email I receive from our esteemed Government agency asks me to provide a VIDEO stating why I am the best person for this job. So, regardless of my skills, Tourism Australia now has a basis to discriminate not only on my age, but also on the way I look and sound! I wonder who will be viewing these videos? And, what their criteria really is?

And, our own Government can’t even be bothered to conduct formal interviews for this role. This is shameful, discriminatory bullshit [no-one will read this, so I can swear if I want to] of the highest order. And to think that my own taxpayer money goes into funding this nonsense.

Where are you when we need you, Ita Buttrose, oh defender of the discriminated against?

Until next time …

Joe