McDonald's changes hiring policies after Hinch outs paedophile employee
McDonald's will conduct checks on adult employees after Senator Derryn Hinch outted a paedophile working at one of its Sydney stores.
The rookie Senator and veteran broadcaster named another paedophile in the Senate on Tuesday, claiming his actions had helped change the fast food giant’s hiring policies.
It comes days after Senator Hinch named five convicted paedophiles under parliamentary privilege.
Senator Hinch said he had been contacted by ‘a brave’ mother who had discovered a man who abused her son was working at McDonald's and was offering rides home to co-workers as young as 14.
He named the man in the Senate. Yahoo!7 cannot publish the name for legal reasons.
According to the Senator, the man had been working at McDonald's and Pizza Hut stores alongside young staff members.
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He said the mother had tried to warn McDonald's of the man’s history but had been turned away. Police told her there could be consequences for her revealing his past.
Senator Hinch said approaches to other politicians had also failed.
“She went to the police and was warned not to mention the paedophile's name in public or she could be in trouble,” Senator Hinch said.
“She went to politicians, and nobody tried to help her.
“Nobody asked the obvious bloody question: didn't McDonald's, employer of thousands of teenagers, have a working with children permit policy? Didn't Pizza Hut? The answer was: no.”
Speaking on an adjournment motion in the Senate on Tuesday, Senator Hinch said his office had contacted McDonald's on August 31 and the chain had responded swiftly.
“Within a week, we were told that the McDonald's IT department is implementing a compulsory criminal background check for over-18-year-old applicants, and predicted this will be rolled out nationally within six to eight weeks,” the Senator told the chamber.
Yahoo!7 has contacted McDonalds for comment.
