Optus has removed a job ad seeking an ‘Anglo Saxon’ employee who ‘lives near Neutral Bay’ and is addressing allegations of discrimination with an internal investigation.
The ad for a casual retail consultant appeared on employment site Seek and stated it “preferred” an “Anglo Saxon” candidate.
It was shared by Twitter user Catherine Snelson who tweeted a screenshot of the ad with the caption: "What were they thinking".
Optus responded to Snelson's Tweet adding that it would be taking "disciplinary action" to those who were involved in the posting of the ad.
@optus seeks Anglo Saxon in Neutral Bay area... I can't even 🙈 What were they thinking! @seekjobs pic.twitter.com/DqKa2vB2X0
— Food for thought (@bomotweets) April 13, 2018
Optus vice-president of human resources Vaughan Paul told AdNews there is an internal investigation underway.
He also reaffirmed Optus as a supporter of diversity, noting the telco giant employs staff representing more than 70 nationalities.
"This incident is unacceptable and does not reflect Optus' values of diversity and inclusion," he says.
"This error is a clear breach of our advertising standards and commitment to equal opportunity employment. Optus proudly supports diversity and employs staff representing more than 70 nationalities."
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