Angela, you hit the nail on the head with your article. I was outraged by reading the judgment of the magistrate re the woman who failed in her discrimination case. It was a point of law which seemed to rest on that the particular award had had the clause removed about the right for employees to refuse to wear certain clothing on request of the employer. Thanks to the Howard govt. So no refuge in the law for her, but I still thought the magistrate's equations sucked big time. To the point where a muslim cleric says something and gets a bigger reaction. Where on earth are we headed? For the stupid poster above re grand prix girls, well... they wouldn't know if they had a clause in their award about their attire would they? and they wouldn't even know what an award was, unless it was a satin sash around their bikini.

Apologies for the above post SteveD, it was a bit harsh when I re-read it after posting. Yes, some employers may rightly require a uniform and i know with grid girls and retail we ain't talking about bikinis. Uniform requirements are usually written in awards, or enterprise agreements and are usually quite sane. ie: if working in a confectionary factory one must wear overalls etc., and for instance McDonalds' would have a clause where you must wear your uniform on shift. Which makes a lot of sense when you're handling food or working in messy places. However, the grey area is when there is no clause, rather an unwritten dress code. In offices, this isn't a problem, unless you say, come to work braless in bike shorts and a king gee singlet and you are the receptionist. What can management do lawfully under an award, unless they have a written dress code and you have been told what it is? say in induction? Apologies again for the reactive i threw at you. But Angela, in total agreement with your article and subsequent postings.

I couldn't agree more with Angela, thank you for your comments. That is exactly what I thought, especially when the shock jocks made such a big deal about the cleric's comments and calling them "cultural murder", as if that kind of thinking didn't exist in "our" society at all. It seems that there will always be people who will read race into everything. Thanks Angela

Hmm perhaps a female employee should be expected to have sex with her boss. Afterall she probably has sex out of work hours. ;)

And pity those women compelled to marry the boss …

"Australia is white, civilised and morally upstanding. How dare a Muslim or 'other' declare that we are otherwise" ( this is a regular subtext found within media coverage and public voice about the 'other' since colonisation) ...its usually about who they think they are as well who they think they are not without ever declaring either clearly.....the beat goes on.