Ms McGoldrick’s tattoos have not caused her any problems, until now.
Earlier this year she applied for work as a flight attendant with Emirates and Qantas, but both turned down her due to her ankle tattoo.
“Both airlines said they wanted to offer me a position but they couldn’t, as a result of my tattoo,” Ms McGoldrick, who is in the Gold Coast, told news.com.au.
“They said some cultures and religions find them offensive, therefore I was told to come back when it’s fully gone and there can’t be any scarring or marks.
Emirates and Qantas affirmed their inflight staff cannot have visible tattoos.
It turns out she may have a point while the warning “no one desires to hire someone with a tat” is the kind of thing your grandmother might have offered up.
There is no national law stopping employers from ignoring a job applicant because of their tat, or from banning tattoos in the workplace.
She said it was illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual preference, age, handicap, marital status and religion – but they are able to establish rules regarding appearance.
One in seven Australians has a tat, according to a 2012 study in the National Health and Medical Research Council. But more than a third of Australians sorrow becoming inked and one in seven of the group are considering removal.
The laser tattoo removal business is booming in Australia — buoyed by the success of laser hair removal practices — but tattoo removal may be a long, expensive process.
Ms McGoldrick is attempting to have her ankle tattoo removed.
“I merely want to eliminate it so there’s no trouble like this in the future,” she said.