Hansard debates

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria)

My adjournment matter is for the Attorney-General.

Throughout this pandemic and the economic crisis resulting from draconian lockdowns, we have constantly been told by politicians and media alike that ‘We are all in this together’.

Recently a new job vacancy has been advertised by the Victorian government for the position of director, inclusion and intersectionality, in the Department of Justice and Community Safety, offering an annual salary of up to $250 000.

The advertisement describes the role of the director as ‘elevating and broadening the department’s approach to inclusion and intersectionality’ and ‘developing and implementing strategies to ensure justice systems are inclusive and equitable’.

This is all while estimates suggest that between 250 000 and 400 000 Victorians will lose their jobs, potentially thousands of businesses will close due to the stage 4 lockdowns caused by Labor’s hotel quarantine debacle.

Anyone with any sense would think that the Labor government would reconsider their obsession with far-left ideas like intersectionality that are at odds with meritocracy after the disastrous decision to use a particular private security firm to operate hotel quarantine due to its accordance with ‘social inclusion’ policies.

But like all ideologues, the government seems to be sticking to its guns and will continue to entertain these out-of-touch ideas that clearly hinder governance and add to extra unnecessary government expenditure in this state.

Bureaucracy should not be focused on how to be the most ‘inclusive’, but instead how to most efficiently deliver services for taxpayers and how to stay out of individuals’ lives as much as possible.

The action I seek is for the Attorney-General to ensure this position is abolished, given the zero benefits that it provides to the state.