A Melbourne woman has threatened to sue hardware giant Bunnings Warehouse for being "discriminatory" by asking her to wear a mask when entering one of its stores at the weekend.
The woman posted a video on Facebook where she alleged Bunnings was breaching "the Charter of Human Rights" after staff asked her to wear a mask. Face masks are currently mandatory for Melbourne residents or risk a NZ$215 fine, due to a massive spike in COVID-19 cases.
"You're discriminating," the woman tells Bunnings staff members at the Melbourne store. "You're not authorised by the Australian Government to question me about it.
"That's discrimination and I can have you sued personally for discriminating against me as a woman," the woman says in the video.
She says it's "unlawful" to be made to wear a mask to enter the store. It comes as the state of Victoria recorded 459 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and 10 deaths.
Despite being abused, staff remain calm as the woman, dubbed by Australians as "the Bunnings Karen", goes on her rant.
"We're not trying to discriminate," one staff member wearing a mask says, asking her to stop filming him.
But she continues her tirade.
"This is my evidence against you - and Bunnings for discriminating against me as a woman," she says.
"It doesn't apply to me - it does not because that's a breach of the Charter of Human Rights."
"As I said, it's just a condition of entry," the employee calmly replies.
After the video circulated on social media, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews slammed "selfish" people for not wearing masks.
"There are ten families that are going to be burying someone in the next few days," he told reporters on Sunday.
"Wear a mask. It's not too much to ask."
Deb Poole, the chief operating officer for Bunnings, criticised the woman's actions as "completely unacceptable".
"The vast majority of customers visiting our Melbourne stores are doing the right thing and wearing a mask, which is required under the law and our conditions of entry," Poole told 7 News.
