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Tony Miller

I have noticed a disturbing change in corporate society. No longer does anyone employ people who think outside the box, who are willing to challenge bureaucratic decisions.
In the early nineties I was employed as an accountant by a fairly sizable manufacturing concern in Melbourne. An employee of some years had recently been sacked because she was not "a team player". Actually I believe it was because she had a foreign accent. The short time she worked within the accounts area I had no complaints. It was also suggested that she did not have the "right skills" (such as typing) but there was no suggestion to retrain her. I went against "Company Policy" and arranged for a written reference which fortunately she found another job.
However rumors abounded the office, morale plummeted and the general atmosphere worsened. Eventually I stormed into the Plant Manager's office and told him that his action could have serious concequences. My immediate boss was stunned to say the least. Whether it did anything I do not know but at least I tried. I am no longer employed as an accountant but prefer being a casual primary school teacher, less pay but much more recognition and influence on the world.
I believe the situation is becoming worse. No one is willing to challenge, to see the human side, to stop and say "hey, there's something wrong here."
Recently due to harsh and bureaucratic rules not one but three Australians have been seriously affected. If only one person within our immigration department had questioned and investigated further an Australian citizen with a German Accent would not have in detention for months on end without her family's knowledge, an Australian citizen would not nave been deported even though she had family including her own children here and a young boy who recently died because bureaucrats just dumped their family into a flat without the knowledge of language, use of telephones in an emergency and any medical backup would still be alive.
Australia has turned into a society where we just make sure noone can blame us for anything that might go wrong (I would often say "don't find a solution, find someone to blame"). It is the same mentality that saw people locked down below on the Titanic, that sees people lying on the side of the road injured for days and nobody stops and where a church worker and a priest delibrately pretended not to see the beaten up man on the side of the road (fortunately the man from Samaria didn't).
The world needs more people of compassion, more willingness to stand up and take a few shots in the name of justice. It will not come from political leaders or highly paid TV journalists and presenters but from people like Rosa Parks. Heroes come from the most humble backgrounds.

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