A screen shot from the webpage advertising Australia Day T-shirts. Photograph: Aldi
Aldi has removed T-shirts from its Australia Day range after the supermarket chain was accused of racism.
Aldi advertised shirts which said “Australia Est 1788” to go on sale as part of its Australia Day range.
The shirts drew criticism on Twitter where the supermarket was accused of racism for seeming to say Australia was only established after it was colonised in 1788, despite the existence of an Indigenous population before then.
In a statement Aldi Australia said it had decided to remove the T-shirts from retail and they would not go on sale on Saturday as planned.
“The decision to remove the Australia Est 1788 design from the range was taken following comments by a limited number of concerned customers,” the statement said.
“Aldi Australia wants its customers to know it puts the community and their wishes first.”
One Twitter user suggested the “est” be changed to “invaded” while others urged people to complain to Aldi directly.
The announcement was welcomed by some but a