Australian real estate agent suspended after sending racist email to Indian tenant

The email was sent to Sandeep Kumar in May 2021 after he disputed a cleaning bill deduction from his security deposit

Melbourne: A real estate agent in Australia has been suspended for sending a former Indian tenant a racist email in which she criticised the cleanliness habits of Indians and hoped that their influx would not turn the country into “the filth that is India”, according to a media report.

The email was sent to Sandeep Kumar in May 2021 after he disputed a cleaning bill deduction from his security deposit, news.com.au, an Australian website, reported.

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In the email, Mavin Real Estate director Bronwyn Pollitt compared Australian living standards and quality of life to what she described as the “overcrowded, overpopulated, dirty squaller” of many countries, including India.

In the mail, she hoped Indian migrants would not turn Australia into “the filth that is India”.

The email was submitted to the State Administrative Tribunal in Western Australia which deemed Pollitt unfit to hold a real estate and business agents licence for eight months from September 1.

In the email, Pollitt said: “I as a white Australian believe you and the others come to Australia as you want to enjoy the lovely way of life we enjoy. Clean, fresh air, jobs or if you cannot get a job social support, medical help and no overpopulation.

“It all starts with cleaning the rental properties though and being mindful of what you have left and knowing the same thing as India will become Perth if you make no attitude changes.” Pollitt later apologised to Kumar, in an email saying she did not intend to be racist.

“Firstly, I apologise if you believe I have been racist against you,” she said. “That was never my intent.” The tribunal heard that Pollitt was under significant pressure at the time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, regulatory changes, and increased rental conflicts.

Ethnic community advocate Suresh Rajan called for a police investigation into the matter, labelling it one of the worst cases of overt racism he has seen in years and suggesting that it breached the criminal code‘s racial vilification legislation.