By Patrick Avenell
SYDNEY: Harvey Norman chairman Gerry Harvey last night defended Pacific Brands’ decision to sack almost 2,000 workers, saying that the woman who made the decision has been unfairly treated.
In an interview with 60 Minutes’ Ellen Fanning, Harvey said Sue Morphett, who has been dubbed the most hated woman in Australia, does not deserve the criticism she has received and backed her claim that all Australians are to blame for Pacific Brand’s decision to move jobs to China.
“She’s been unfairly treated, so we feel compelled, watching this nailing her to the cross, to defend her because she doesn’t deserve the sort of crap she’s been getting,” said Harvey on the program.
When Morphett was asked if the consumer was also responsible for Aussie jobs being outsourced to cheap foreign labour, she said that all Australians were to blame, because we prefer buying cheap to buying local.
“Long, long gone are the days where Australians were actually prepared to pay more for Australian goods,” said Morphett.
And Harvey agrees, with the larrikin billionaire saying that his company’s support of Pacific Brands’ mattress factory is securing jobs. For all jobs to be secure, all Australians need to support local enterprises.
“These jobs are at risk if someone likes Harvey Norman decides to import, but we are not going to do that, 100 per cent, we’re going to support this factory,” he said.
The full story can be accessed at the 60 Minutes website.