Dress Codes

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:47): Today, I rise to speak on the evolving changes to dress codes. There is one place where dress codes are still firmly in place and that is in our schools. Recently, I hosted a primary school from Whyalla on behalf of the member for Giles in the other place, Mr Eddie Hughes MP. While in this chamber, I took the students through the process of debating a mock bill. The chosen topic was compulsory school uniforms The students took on the debate with confidence, speaking passionately for and against making school uniforms compulsory. Their statements included, and I quote, 'Uniforms make students look neat', 'Uniforms stop bullying about the clothes you wear', and, 'People you meet in the community know what school you go to'.

Statements against compulsory uniforms included: 'Uniforms are ugly and boring'; 'Uniforms are made from material that is itchy and scratchy'; and, 'If uniforms are not compulsory, then we can choose the clothes we like and want to wear'. Not surprisingly, the majority of the 43 students opposed compulsory uniforms. However, dress code policies in our schools do give students clear expectations about what they can and cannot wear. As students move into the workplace, dress codes will become far more relaxed and varied. This shift is a reminder that formality may fade, but school uniforms encourage presentation and respect for the occasion.

Workplace research into dress behaviours published in the Harvard Business Review found that nonconforming dress behaviour in a controlled and intentional way can lead to positive impressions in the eyes of others. An example that comes to mind is how President Zelenskyy dresses. His nonconforming dress is likely intentional and symbolic. By wearing military-style clothing, he visually aligns himself with Ukrainian soldiers, which helps make him look like a hands-on leader.

Adelaide's best example of nonconforming dress occurred in 1972 when our former Premier Don Dunstan stood on the steps of parliament to be photographed in his now famous pink shorts. According to media reports at the time, he was aware that wearing such unconventional attire would attract attention, and it was certainly an ultimate salute to diversity. In fact, Don's shorts came back to life in the 2025 Radical Textiles exhibition at the South Australian Art Gallery.

COVID changed many entrenched habits, including how we dress when working remotely. Now, we can wear a business jacket with track pants while letting people into our homes with Zoom. The business dress code has remained more casual as formality around dress has relaxed. Today, other dress codes have been abandoned altogether. Many of you will remember the time when anyone working in hospitality only ever dressed in universal black and white clothes, whether it was the local eatery up the road or one of Adelaide's more upmarket restaurants. Today, in whatever type of restaurant, we can be served by a waiter or waitress wearing anything but the black and white attire we only ever saw when eating out.

We have not seen any pink shorts worn in this place during my time, although we have had subtle breaks in convention such as wearing a shirt to work without a tie. Changes to how we now dress in the workplace have evolved slowly so that in the main, we do not even notice them, or if we do, we choose to let the issue go. The students' debate on dress codes was a reminder that our sense of professionalism and style continue to evolve, shaped as much by comfort and practicality as by tradition.