Cinema cuts free tickets for carers
A NORTH Hobart cinema will no longer offer free movie tickets to carers of disabled patrons after a complaint was lodged with Equal Opportunity Tasmania about the practice.
State Cinema owner John Kelly said he had been offering the free tickets to carers who held an eligible governmentissued Companion Card on weekdays before 5pm for about seven years.
The offer was not available on weekends or after 5pm during the week, which were peak times that “helped fund the system where we could allow carers in for nothing”, Mr Kelly said.
EOT said it had received a complaint from a person requiring a carer who wished to see a movie on a weekend and was told he would need to pay for his carer’s ticket.
“As a consequence, the complainant alleged that he was unlawfully discriminated against as he would have to pay twice to see the movie and could not afford to do so,” a statement said.
Mr Kelly said he was not an official participant of the Companion Card system, there was no legal obligation to provide the free ticket and he had revoked the offer completely.
“This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t offered it at all in the first place — I’d have been better off doing nothing,” he said.
There are 10 southern Tasmanian businesses listed on the Companion Card website as being registered to accept the card. EOT said it had invited the State Cinema to re- spond to the complaint as part of its investigation.
“There is nothing under the Act preventing the State Cinema from continuing to offer free admission for companion carers during weekdays,” the EOT said.
Mr Kelly said this was his fifth anti-discrimination complaint in as many years, and hit out against the watchdog.
“I’m sure they do some good work, but every case I’ve had has ended up frizzing out and has cost me a lot of time and money and the other person has walked away totally disillusioned,” he said.
In April, a Hobart actor and director was awarded $1000 after she was refused a movie ticket at the cinema.
The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal found Mr Kelly discriminated against Sara Pensalfini when he refused her service on the basis of her union membership. It found Mr Kelly’s discriminatory behaviour was distressing and humiliating to Ms Pensalfini.