Page 2146 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 9 September 1992
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I am very concerned at what I perceive to be an increasingly authoritarian and anti-civil libertarian tendency emerging at various levels of government in Australia. I hope that your government's exercise in tin-pot fascism on Tuesday does not represent a new phase of this developing in Canberra.
Yours sincerely.
It is signed by David Armstrong, editor of the Canberra Times.
Aid to the Unemployed
MR HUMPHRIES (4.54): Madam Speaker, I want to refer to something which impressed me when I read about it a few days ago in a publication called the Canberra Times. This august and eminent publication in our local burgh ran a story on page 3 of that paper on 26 August about a promotion by Bell's Drycleaners in Canberra in respect of unemployed people. A picture of Mr Nick Moufarrige, the managing director of Bell's Drycleaners, appeared with the article. Mr Moufarrige was quoted in respect of the offer that Bell's had made in respect of unemployed people.
I gather from the article that the company has agreed to clean an outfit free for any person who is genuinely unemployed and going for an interview for a job. Mr Moufarrige said:
One of the things we thought we could do was to ensure that when people went to an interview they were, at least, well presented. If you're well turned out you feel better about yourself and are more confident going to the interview.
I think that that very welcome gesture by Bell's Drycleaners indicates that people's attitudes towards the unemployed have changed quite dramatically in recent years. The concept of the unemployed as being dole bludgers has long disappeared in an environment where unemployment, unfortunately, strikes very good people very often. People who are eminently capable of holding down jobs in any normal environment find themselves unable to do so because of the devastating effect of unemployment in this community. Obviously I could say a lot about the causes of unemployment.
Mr Connolly: Bell's will have to put on another line if Dr Hewson gets in.
MR HUMPHRIES: Those opposite think this is funny and think unemployment is a very frivolous matter. Those on this side of the house at least view this with great seriousness. We hope that there are more people like Mr Moufarrige from Bell's Drycleaners who will make the effort to show unemployed people in this community that they are not considered lepers in our community because of
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