A job advertisement seeking an “Indian boy or girl” has stirred backlash in the New South Wales regional town of Griffith, prompting accusations of racism and sparking fierce debate online.
The job advt, allegedly taped to the window of popular fast food shop on Griffith’s main street, read:
“Hiring full-time employees, Indian boy or girl, fluent in English, paid training provided, reasonable wages, friendly staff.”
Locals were quick to condemn the language, with one social media user commenting: “But if we wrote an ad that said ‘Aussie boy or girl’ we’d be crucified.” Another demanded transparency: “Name the business! Never seen or heard of this happening back in the day when it was Europeans settling here — we all mixed in together fine.”
Others questioned whether the ad reflected a misunderstanding of language requirements. “Is it an Indian restaurant? My pet loath is to be served by a non-Indian when I’m wanting an authentic Indian food experience,” one person posted. Another took a lighter tone: “Lol, if this is all you need to worry about in Griffith, you’re doing well!”
Some asked the Griffith Free Local News to add more context to their post: “What shop is this? Is it someone with poor English who meant bilingual?” While another critic remarked, “Look how easily you lot got excited.”
Following the uproar, the owners of Pizza Monster swiftly took down the ad and apologised. A staff member told Noticer News the language used in the poster was the result of a “language barrier” and clarified that the intention was to hire someone who could speak both English and Punjabi.
“Most of our customers speak Punjabi. We didn’t mean to offend anyone,” the worker said.
“We’re very sorry.”
Some defended the business, suggesting the situation was a cultural or translation misunderstanding. “Simple explanation — where are you going to find an English boy or girl in Griffith that speaks Indian? Some jobs are specialised,” one user wrote.
Another reflected:
“It’s obviously a misunderstanding of our employment or discrimination regulations.
Instead of everyone complaining, it would be helpful if the business were made aware of the problem.”
An Indian customer agreed the ad was inappropriate, but added: “Mistakes happen. If it’s an Indian grocery store, he should write that ‘a multilingual person is needed who is fluent in English and Hindi.’”
The controversy comes shortly after a roundabout in Griffith was renamed in Punjabi following lobbying from the town’s growing Sikh community, highlighting ongoing conversations about multiculturalism and integration in regional Australia.
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