[Muanet] It's not my style: hairdresser says she was misled on IR advert

[Chris Latham]

Hi all

I saw this in the age yesterday and thought members might be interested.


It's not my style: hairdresser says she was misled on IR advert 
By PAUL ROBINSON, WORKPLACE EDITOR 
26 October 2005
The Age
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WORK REVOLUTION 
THE daughter of one of Melbourne's pre-eminent business families
believes she was misled into appearing in the Federal Government's
controversial advertisements to promote its workplace changes. 
Phelia Grimwade, who works as a hairdresser in St Kilda, acknowledged
that her family had been associated with the Liberal Party. But she said
she was "furious and embarrassed" when her face appeared on television
advertisements for WorkChoices. 
"I was lied to and deceived. It's been put to me that I'm just a Liberal
Party pin-up girl. But that's not me. I've protested against the Liberal
Government. I'm into social justice," she said yesterday. 
Ms Grimwade, 22, who is a second-year apprentice, said she was told by
the producers that the film shoot was to promote "health and safety" -
an issue that she is very passionate about. She said she was also told
that she would receive a cheque of about $1000 for the shoot, which
occurred more than a month ago. 
She said she was not told that the advertisement would be used to
promote the Government's workplace agenda. She has still not be been
paid. 
Ms Grimwade said she signed a form that referred to a video about
industrial relations "which the producer said meant health and safety". 
"I feel so embarrassed about this," Ms Grimwade said. "What the
Government is proposing is so against my personal beliefs. I subscribe
to the Greens. I believe in workers' rights and to have my face on these
ads is really distressing. I've had people say . . . 'it makes you look
like a liar'." 
Ms Grimwade's predicament follows claims by two Dandenong factory
workers last week that they too had been misled into taking part in the
ads. 
A 23-year-old welder at a Dandenong engineering firm, Calbah Industries,
said he was paid two hours' overtime for his appearance. Two former
Calbah workers told Channel Nine that they earned about $13 each for
promoting the new workplace system - and that they too believed they
were taking part in a work safety video for a Victorian health and
safety authority. 
One said Calbah was rumoured to have received more than $7000 for
allowing the ad to be shot at the factory. 
A Calbah representative declined to comment. 
Tom Cooper, account manager for Dewey Horton, the agency hired by the
Government to produce the ads, denied his staff had sought to mislead
people. 
"Anybody who participated in the advertisements signed a talent release
form that stated clearly that the client was the Department of
Employment and Workplace Relations and the issue was industrial
relations. I can't understand what all the confusion is about," he said.

A spokesman for Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews said all
participants signed forms that identified the purpose of the job.

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