5 May 2021

Probing the polls: Motorsport support and clothing codes at work

| Genevieve Jacobs
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Staff at Home Affairs

Staff at the Department of Home Affairs – but should the department be able to tell them what to wear? Photo: Home Affairs.

Readers who voted in our poll have given motorsports facilities in Canberra the thumbs up after our columnist James Coleman asked whether it was time to end the funding and operating constraints and put the pedal to the metal for motorsports in the national capital.

We asked whether you agreed that a motorsports facility prevents bad behaviour on the roads and deserve better facilities than the current low level of support for the sport.

Fatjack was a big proponent of the concept: “Build it and they will come! Speedway is a sport that has been around for a significant period. Many of us have grown up with speedway as a spectator, participant, or support crew. It’s regulated and great entertainment for all ages.

“The facilities in Canberra serve us well, but would be better if supported and further upgraded. This would bring both interstate, national, and international competitors as well as spectators to this city. These people don’t just drive in and drive out, they spend money in the local community including accommodation, dining, automotive industry, etc,” he wrote.

We asked: “Do we need a fully-funded motorsports park in Canberra?” A total of 920 readers voted.

Your choices were to vote No, it’s a niche interest and has no impact on bad road behaviour. This received 34 per cent of the total, or 309 votes. Alternatively, you could vote Yes, motorsports deserve a decent, safe venue. This received 66 per cent of the total, a clear winner on 611 votes.

This week we’re wondering about whether your workplace should be able to regulate what you wear to work.

There was lively debate after columnist Zoya Patel discussed moves at the Department of Home Affairs to ban staff wearing sleeveless tops when working went public.

READ ALSO Should your workplace have any say in what you wear?

“Am I alone in thinking that the idea of a workplace dress code that goes beyond ‘please dress professionally’ is bizarre in this day and age?” Zoya asked.

“At the point at which someone has passed the hurdles of applying for a job, interviewing, and being deemed suitable, isn’t it safe to assume they’ll understand the need to wear suitable work clothes? And assuming an individual does show up in thoroughly inappropriate clothes to work, isn’t that something that can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis?”

Monty Ki wrote: “Yes, especially if there are OHS considerations. My hubby is a landscaper. He needs appropriate clothing for his work, work boots etc and as a representative of his boss’s business.

“Some jobs, like mine as a therapist, have more flexibility for self-expression, but I still need to adhere to a presentation of professional conduct, as well as practical movement. For me, I wear all black and colourful accessories. Office jobs can also have more flexibility, and this needs to be discussed in each workplace.”

And Penelope added: “Yes, dress appropriately and professionally. Don’t dress for a fishing trip or a night out on the town unless that’s the actual job. My Dad would always comment if any of my siblings or I looked shabby/not appropriate when we first started working. That sense of pride in our appearance has stayed with me.”

For Sean Bishop, “Unless you need to meet Aus standards minimum ie high visibility or ppe, then outside of that, no”.

Sean Harvey added: “Up to a point, yes. Where it becomes more important for some leaders to make sure their staff dress to their standard levels rather than being able to do their jobs, then no.”

Our question this week is:

Should workplaces be able to tell you what to wear?

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