For the last thirteen years, Rob Palmer has been a presenter on Channel 7’s Better Homes and Gardens program.  He was the enthusiastic, eminently likeable focal of the show’s building segments.

In case you doubt his popularity, he won the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars in 2010.  No one wins that show on dancing alone.

Far be it to wander from the point, the father of three was unceremoniously sacked by his employer in December 2014.  How unceremoniously?  As in, he had filmed promos for the 2015 series, took a trip to the UK to see his mother in law and got a call from his agent telling him not to hurry back, because you don’t have a job.

Rob’s contract expired.

By all legality, Channel 7 are in their rights to opt not to renew it.

By all standards of common courtesy, they are bastards, for at least the heartless and cutthroat way which they went about their decision.

Thirteen years is a long time.  Especially in television.  What reward for loyalty?  None.

They didn’t even bother to tell him he was out of a job.  He had to find out from a third party.

He was even excised from the last few episodes of compilation packs that Seven run over the summer.  From now on it will be as though he never existed. 

 This petition is a protest first against the way Mr. Palmer was dismissed from his position.

It is secondly to garner signatures that can be presented to the network in support of Palmer’s popularity, and as a demand that he be REINSTATED into the position he until recently so effectively filled.

This is in no way intended as a slight against Palmer’s replacement, Adam Dovile, who is in this matter, an innocent pawn of corporate power plays.

I urge all petitioners to BOYCOTT the 2015 series of Better Homes and Gardens until Rob Palmer is reinstated, because nothing makes networks take as much notice as TV RATINGS, and aside from petitioning, this is the biggest and most substantial difference we can make as viewers.