February 2026
Attila* is an Australian man of Turkish background who was employed through a labour hire company and placed at a worksite. While at the worksite, two employees taunted him by calling him a terrorist and laughing. Attila reported the behaviour to his labour hire employer and did not return to the host employer’s worksite.
The labour hire employer raised the issue with the host employer. The host employer investigated the matter, with the employees concerned admitting the conduct. Attila was offered alternative work by the labour hire employer, but he was unhappy with how the matter was handled and made a racial vilification complaint to Anti‑Discrimination NSW (ADNSW).
ADNSW investigated the complaint.
Attila’s labour hire employer provided a comprehensive response about the action it took in raising the matter with the host employer on Attila’s behalf. Attila was satisfied with the response and withdrew his complaint against the labour hire company.
The host employer also provided a comprehensive response which indicated that:
The host employer said that they tried to engage with Attila following the incident, but Attila did not return contact. The host employer said it could not pass on the contact details of their ex-employees for privacy reasons unless required by law to do so. Attila said he wanted to try to resolve his complaint just with the host employer and was not interested in pursuing the individual employees.
The matter was resolved at a conciliation conference held via Microsoft Teams, with the host employer making an ex‑gratia payment without admitting liability.
*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of the individual.
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