The six-figure salary diversity and inclusion jobs in Australia

Six-figure salaries are being offered for taxpayer-funded ‘diversity and inclusion’ jobs in Australia as many employers struggle to recruit staff and government debt soars.

The SEEK jobs website has 17,188 positions that are either specifically for a ‘diversity and inclusion’ officer or at least contain that phrase in the advertisement.

Some of the positions require the successful applicant to implement ‘anti-racism’ policies, a key component of American critical race theory. 

A Victorian government ad, for a job paying almost $100,000, said that it was ‘specifically seeking applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’ for an ‘inclusion and diversity specialist role’ within an agency that helps car crash victims.

With 237,047 jobs ads advertised in July, as calculated by the ANZ bank, those types of roles represent about 7.3 per cent of available positions in the labour market.

They are often well-paid, taxpayer-funded jobs offering six-figure salaries even though the federal government’s gross debt next year is set to surpass the $1trillion mark and make up 44.6 per cent of the economy.

These well-paid jobs can be found in federal government agencies, universities, local councils, state governments and big corporations, which trumpet their focus on minority issues, ranging from indigenous to gay issues.

Daniel Wild, the deputy executive director of the Institute of Public Affairs – a libertarian think tank – said governments at all levels needed to cut back on ‘woke’ diversity and inclusion jobs to pay back the debt.

‘We’re a trillion dollars in debt, that is only going to go up and the reality is that very tough choices will need to be made,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Cutting back on jobs that don’t add immediate value would be a very good first step.

‘The issue is there’s very little accountability in the public sector so they don’t face the same kind of cost pressures that you might face in the private sector.’

The likes of the Diversity Council of Australia argue ‘unconscious bias’ is a problem in the workplace where minority groups are often discriminated against, even by well-intentioned managers. 

Joe Calafiore, the chief executive of Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC), said his agency was hiring an ‘inclusion and diversity specialist’ so his government agency could ‘take this important step on its journey to advance reconciliation’. 

This Geelong-based ‘inclusion and diversity specialist’ job will pay $99,248 plus superannuation.

‘The role will focus on a range of initiatives to advance cultural safety, improve Aboriginal employment outcomes, as well as contributing to our commitments around accessibility, LGBTIQ+ inclusion, and anti-racism,’ Mr Calafiore told Daily Mail Australia.

In a case of affirmative action, where hiring is based on a minority characteristic, the TAC job ad said: ‘ We are specifically seeking applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

‘At the TAC, we’re committed to reconciliation, inclusion and accessibility, and recognise the importance of lived experience. 

‘We value the cultural insights and expertise of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and are committed to furthering our understanding of First Nations communities and advancing an inclusive, and culturally safe workforce.’

The term ‘anti-racism’ comes from critical race theory, an American academic construct based on the view that ‘systemic racism’ is endemic across society with institutions like the courts biased against black people in particular.

The successful TAC applicant would also be required to ‘support the inclusion of various groups in our workforce, as outlined under our Gender Equality Action Plan and strategic plans to build accessibility, LGBTIQ+ inclusion, and anti-racism.’

The Transport Accident Commission in April had a Facebook graphic acknowledging Muslim motorists: ‘Drive safely this Ramadan.’ 

Mr Wild said big corporations were now just as bad as the public service because it was the ‘path of least resistance’ amid pressure from different social groups.

‘Today, they are some of the biggest offenders when it comes to wokeism, when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion,’ he said.

‘They’re just as big offenders as government are, in many cases.’

Melbourne and Victoria seems to have more of these six-figure jobs on offer. 

The pay is also often significantly higher than Australia’s average-full salary of $90,917 or the average taxable income of $63,882 for full and part-time workers. 

La Trobe University in Melbourne, for example, advertised for a senior manager of ‘culture, diversity and inclusion’ on a total remuneration package of $145,000 to $170,000.

That includes 17 per cent superannuation, which is much more generous than the compulsory employer contribution of 10.5 per cent.

The position involves developing ‘activities to embed cultural change across the university by partnering with leaders and the broader university community to develop equity, diversity, and inclusion strategies, to ensure we continue to build and uphold a high-performing, engaged, safe and inclusive culture at La Trobe’.

Other jobs come up under a ‘diversity and inclusion’ search. 

Indigenous Business Australia, a federal government agency, this week advertised for senior managers of organisational development in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth on a salary of $141,819 to $166,166.

The job requires someone to ‘lead the development and implementation of’ the agency’s ‘indigenous employment strategy and diversity and inclusion strategy’.

‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply,’ it said.

Melbourne seems to be a hotbed of diversity jobs with City of Monash council offering $89,857 to $97,939 for a ‘diversity, equity and inclusion consultant’ to join an ‘enthusiastic and progressive team’.

Key duties involve liaising with Rainbow Tick, an advocacy group ‘that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) health and wellbeing’.

Victoria is far from the only government obsessing over diversity with the Australian Capital Territory government offering $114,928 to $123,710 for an ‘assistant director, workforce diversity and entry programs’.

The Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate said it welcomed ‘applications from people with disability and with experience of disability, those who identify as LGBTIQ+; carers; people who have non-English-speaking life experience; people of all cultural backgrounds; recent migrants to Australia; older and younger people’.

The role also requires someone to be ‘inclusive, progressive, and diverse as the community we serve’,  even though ‘progressive’ is a political term that is the opposite of ‘conservative’.

But an ACT government spokeswoman denied the term ‘progressive’ was political and argued it just highlighted how the territory’s public service was diverse and inclusive.

‘The term progressive is not uniquely a political term,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.

‘In the context of this advertisement, the adjective is used to illustrate and advertise the advancements the ACTPS is making with respect to the diversity of its workforce and inclusive nature of its culture, with the intent of capturing the interest of skilled diversity and inclusion professionals who may consider applying for the position.’

The private sector is also big on hiring diversity and inclusion specialists with human resources company Capability HR on Sydney’s North Shore offering $130,000 to $140,000 for ‘diversity and inclusion’ consultant’.

The group said ‘the diversity of its employee base remains one of its priorities’.

Mr Wild said diversity and inclusion programs were incompatible with a meritocracy where the best candidate was hired regardless of their demographic status.

‘The best form of equality is giving everybody a fair go regardless of their background,’ he said.

‘That’s a pretty fundamental part of our way of life rather than preferencing people based on any of their immutable characteristics, it’s about ensuring that you get the right person for the right job and paying them a fair salary.’

Bosses in general are struggling to recruit staff with Australia’s unemployment at a 48-year low of 3.5 per cent and skilled migrant numbers still well below where they were in early 2020 before the pandemic.

In May, Australia had 58,430 permanent and long-term arrivals, a level well below the 97,840 figure of February 2020 before the World Health Organisation declared a pandemic and the border was shut.