Qld: Gay flight steward sues Qantas over racist claim

AAP General News (Australia)
08-13-2001
Qld: Gay flight steward sues Qantas over racist claim

By Suzanne Klotz

BRISBANE, Aug 13 AAP - A homosexual flight attendant is suing Qantas after he developed
psychological disorders when the airline accused him of being racist.

Maxwell Roy Craig, 48, of Mt Kilcoy, in southeast Queensland, is suing his employer,
seeking damages over his personal psychiatric disorders and for breach of contract.

Mr Craig, a flight attendant with Qantas for the past 17 years, became embroiled in
a battle over his alleged discriminatory attitude following a comment he made in 1995.

Giving evidence in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, Mr Craig said he was having a conversation
in the flight attendants' lounge in Sydney on March 26, 1995, about setting up a support
network for HIV-positive flight attendants when there were two Aboriginal flight attendants
nearby.

Mr Craig said he had known one of the attendants for 10 years and was on good terms with her.

He said the other attendant, who was male, made a remark to her about "one of her sisters
approaching".

When she queried what he said because the woman was not in her line of sight, the male
attendant kept on repeating the comment.

Mr Craig said he could see this was agitating the female attendant and he was worried
the male attendant whom he believed had gotten into trouble before would do so again.

"I remember thinking if (the male attendant) didn't stop what he was doing he'd get
into trouble, so I said `didgeridoo'", Mr Craig said.

"Until this day I don't know why I said it, it was just a word that came out."

Mr Craig said the first he knew about a complaint being made was two weeks later when
he was summoned to a meeting in Sydney.

Mr Craig said he apologised to the Aboriginal flight attendant who made the complaint
and she accepted his apology.

However, Qantas pursued the case and found the complaint was justified.

Mr Craig said he had agreed to provide a written apology if all mention of the incident
was expunged from his work record, but Qantas refused.

He has alleged that Qantas harassed and victimised him by pursuing the complaint because
of his past actions, which included lobbying the company on working conditions such as
wearing jackets in summer and general presentation standards.

Mr Craig claims he has been diagnosed with chronic adjustment disorder, anxiety and
depression as a result of the on-going conflict over the alleged racism.

The court was told that being accused of racism hurt him deeply because he had actively
campaigned against discrimination in the workplace, particularly on grounds of sexuality.

Mr Craig has been on sick leave since March this year due to his on-going psychological
problems, and the court was told that his future with Qantas was in doubt.

The trial is continuing before Justice John Helman.

AAP smk/sc/las/sb

KEYWORD: CRAIG

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