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Adelaide Post Office Puts Racist Sign, ‘Can’t Take Indian Photos Due To Poor Lighting’. Australia Post Apologises After Getting Slammed 

by Sanjana Shenoy
Adelaide Post Office Puts Racist Sign, ‘Can’t Take Indian Photos Due To Poor Lighting’. Australia Post Apologises After Getting Slammed 

Australia Post has been slammed all over social media for what seems like an insensitive signpost at a post office in Adelaide. The Australia Post office nestled in Rundle Mall put out a racist sign that states they can’t take Indian photos due to their lighting and photo background. Pictures of the sign went viral in no time and Australia Post received a lot of criticism on social media. Here’s what happened.

Australia Post Office Displays Seemingly Racist Sign, Offending Indians

On November 17, Twitterati, Pranab Pai (@pranabpai77) posted a picture of a sign outside the Adelaide post office in South Australia’s Rundle Mall. The post read, “Due to our lighting and quality of photo background, we, unfortunately, CAN NOT take INDIAN photos”. It directed people to instead head to Camera House on 120 Grenfell Street, as it’s the nearest photo place.

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Pranab Pai captioned his tweet “Either this is a deliberate systemic racial jibe or everyone in the country needs to show a score of 8 bands in IELTS before taking up any job.” This poorly worded message that sounded racist instantly took social media by storm. Australia Post received a lot of flack from the Indian community spread not just across Australia, but the world.

Also Read: Indian Restaurant Vandalised In The USA With Racist Graffiti

Offers Apology For The Sign & Promises To Take Action

Minister for Communications & NSW Labor Party President Michelle Rowland instantly sent a letter to Australia Post condemning them for the unacceptable sign posted in the Adelaide post office. In her letter, she stated that no one must be discriminated against due to their colour, skin or where they come from. She also urged Australia Post to publicly apologise for offending the Subcontinent communities.

Meanwhile, Australia Post removed the sign outside the Adelaide post office. And went on to issue a public apology. They promised to investigate the matter well and take appropriate action. But they also clarified that they actually meant to convey that Indian passport-size photographs couldn’t be clicked earlier as per the Indian Consulate’s demands. The Indian Consulate earlier reflected many customers’ passport photos taken at the Post Office.

Well, perhaps it was a poorly-worded message. Nevertheless, we hope this matter gets thoroughly investigated and any such incidents are prevented in the near future.

Cover Image Courtesy: @pranabpai77/ Twitter and Pixabay