Qantas airline urges staff to call Britain's historical role in Australia an 'invasion, occupation or colonisation' as it issues politically correct speech guide
- Australian airline Qantas has told staff what words to use in an online document
- People and Culture group executive Lesley Grant issued an information guide
- The material was produced by the Diversity Council of Australia, the airline said
- It states 'husband and wife' and 'mankind' are considered 'gender-inappropriate'
Qantas staff have been urged by their bosses not to call Britain's historical role in Australia a 'settlement' but to opt for 'invasion', 'colonisation' or 'occupation'.
The airline has found itself in the middle of a political correctness row after issuing instructions to employees to think about using 'gender appropriate' terms and avoid saying 'husband and wife' because it may offend the LGBTI community.
Qantas' People and Culture group executive Lesley Grant issued an online information booklet detailing how to make employees feel more comfortable at work in line with the airline's Spirit of Inclusion month.
One of the topics covered is the arrival of Europeans 230 years ago which the airline encouraged staff not to refer to as a settlement because it was a view of Australian history from an British perspective.
It is understood there is no change of policy from the airline, but that the materials were circulated to generate discussion.
The online document with the heading 'The courage to call it' which was circulated to staff
A second part of the online guide, urging staff to 'make people visible, but not too visible', 'stop stereotypes', 'lay off offensive labels', 'try not to trivialise' and 'keep calm and respond'
Australian airline Qantas has urged staff to use 'gender appropriate' terms and avoid saying 'husband and wife' because it may offend the LGBTI community (file image)
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce
The document, made available to staff on their personal portals, warns employees to think about their language when discussing the history of Australia, according to The Times.
Staff have been urged to 'recognise the reality' that 'Australia was not settled peacefully'.
The memo also asks employees to think when using words such as 'honey, darling and love' because they have the capacity to offend.
It also advises staff to use 'partner' instead of husband and wife, and 'parents' instead of mum and dad because it could exclude LGBTI families.
The pack asks Qantas workers to not use gender-inappropriate terms such as mankind or fireman.
Australian former prime minister Tony Abbott who has blasted the Qantas move
The information states: 'Language can make groups of people invisible. For example, the use of the term chairman can reinforce the idea that leaders are always men.'
'Words like love, honey or darling, even when used as terms of endearment, often offend. In the workplace, it is best to avoid these sorts of words.'
Ms Grant told staff she wants the work environment at Qantas to be a place 'everyone feels comfortable to bring their whole selves to work'.
But the country's former prime minister Tony Abbott is one of many critics of the move.
He blasted Qantas on 2GB, calling it 'political correctness that’s gone way over the top'.
'Frankly if companies like Qantas want to give their customers a better deal,' Abbott said, 'they can scrap all these inclusion units, just scrap them, save the money because it’s just rubbish this idea that we need a corporate thought police.
'I mean really and truly it is a complete, absolute and utter waste of money.
'I’ve been on hundreds of Qantas flights over many, many years now. Qantas staff are very good people. They are decent, sensitive people, they’ve got to deal with just about every possible type of person, and they don’t need this kind of nonsense, they really don’t.
'It’s an insult to them, quite apart from a great waste of money, but I’m afraid these are the very weird and strange times in which we live.'
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (centre) celebrates the 40th annual Mardi Gras festival in Sydney
Australian airline Qantas has told staff to use 'gender appropriate' terms
The material was produced by the Diversity Council of Australia, Qantas told The Daily Telegraph.
MailOnline contacted Qantas for a comment, but the airline decided not to issue a statement.
Diversity Council Australia said: 'Diversity Council Australia believes it's great that Qantas is using the WordsAtWork materials to encourage reflection and discussion at work about what respectful and inclusive language looks like.
'Many DCA member organisations are using the materials and it reflects well on these organisations that they are starting/creating/encouraging a conversation internally about what respectful and inclusive words could look like in 2018.
'Our WordsAtWork materials are not telling people what they can and can’t say. We are simply asking people to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and look at what they say from another perspective – and be open to changing what they have always thought is "normal", respectful and appropriate to say.
'We designed the materials so that they weren’t instruction manuals but rather offered up ideas for consideration.
'In fact, in the guide we note that language changes and so it’s important to revisit these ideas over time to see how community standards about words at work may be changing.
'We will never get universal consensus on what words or behaviours are or are not inclusive – but that’s actually not the point, the point is to open up a respectful discussion about it.'
Most watched News videos
- Get-away driver ploughs into car wash workers restraining robber
- Strange orb floating in New York skies is spotted on Google Maps
- Furious hotel guest rants after being woken by charity rave
- Fearless car owner tackles would-be thief in street in pyjamas
- Russian TV anchor Kirill Kleimenov issues threat to 'traitors'
- Man unable to drive home due to heavy snowfall in West Yorkshire
- Mother reveals regrets over the death of her daughter
- Alexa laughs creepily through bluetooth speaker
- Footage of drunken man being escorted off Ryanair flight
- Shocking moment man stops thief from stealing his car in London
- Audi driver causes traffic incident with risky manoeuvre
- Two moped muggers caught on CCTV robbing a mum at knifepoint
- Sixth-form colleges back campaign for 16-year-olds to get...
- We the working class! That's how the granddaughter of a...
- Philip Hammond draws up plans to tax single-use plastics...
- Police FARCE! Two senior officers are labelled...
- Army celebrates International Women's Day with a...
- Police arrest four after 'protesters' after they storm...
- Tatler Tory Mark Clarke quits his job in the City after...
- Pearls for heroes: In 1918 the Mail founder's wife...
- Teachers are promised less work: New Education Secretary...
- Car wars! Aston Martin chiefs branded ungentlemanly after...
- Hero police officer tackles masked ram-raiders before...
- When Yvonne got dementia Sainsbury's let her keep her job...
- Fast-breeding animals are given contraceptives as zoo in...
- Neighbours speak of their shock after frail pensioner,...
- Murderers at a private prison handed taxpayer-funded...
- Grammar schools across the country add extra pupil places...
- Chainsaw gang felling one 25ft cherry tree are protected...
- Council parking charges to soar: Motorists will pay 45%...