Across the country, offices are getting ready for their Christmas parties.

Sorry. That might be offensive. Seasonal celebrations. Anyway, I digress.

Across the country offices are arranging end of year knees-ups – the
caring, sensitive folk at the Department of Immigration and
Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, too.

An email signed off on by the secretary recently went to all staff
notifying them of their Chrissie do – and letting them know that the
theme this year would be “Cowboys and Injuns.”

It was followed quick smart by a second – announcing that the show
would just fancy dress and apologising to anyone offended by the cowboy
theme.

“There was no intention to draw on cultural or racial sensitivities,” the penitent po-faced pen-pushers said.

Nice to see that DIMIA respects cultural sensitivities – but we’d
suggest to any departmental droogs planning to go along that they carry
100 points of ID if they’re dress is going to be too fancy. They don’t
want to spend Christmas in Baxter. Or the Philippines.

PS If you’ve got a copy of the messages, why not share them with Crikey readers at christian@crikey.com.au