BarbariaPolitica
Secret internal documents from the shadowy Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) have revealed a dual-track approach to enforcing diversity recruitment targets. An email between APSC division heads notes, ‘our strategy of gently nudging departments to semi-formally, and then formally adopt a “diversity-first” approach to all APS recruitment has largely been achieved without attracting public attention.’
However, it seems the APSC has had to devise additional tactics to ensure diversity targets cannot be identified as formal processes, rather just one of a number of casual ‘themes’ being encouraged in the workplace with no legal foundation. Further down in the aforementioned email the observation is made that, ‘under no circumstances can unsuccessful applicants be made aware they were found non-competitive on the basis of a lack of diversity, and that feedback to such applicants should be presented as simply meeting internal reporting requirements, and as such of no real help to them.’
Additional discussion among the division heads notes the case of a recruitment panel member who having unintentionally informed an applicant that although he was by far the most suitable person interviewed in terms of expertise and experience, he’d been pushed down the order of merit for ‘lacking diversity.’ Fortunately the applicant had already secured a position in the private sector, but did make an unkind remark when he learned the successful applicant was a non-English speaking transvestite with a workplace Beagle assistance dog harbouring lesbian tendencies. The applicant’s comment resulted in the APS officer having to go on stress leave for several months.
Meanwhile, the visuals for APSC diversity recruitment pamphlets (non-public release) have been attained by BarbariaPolitica and can only be described as being of a curious nature. As part of a ‘ranking scale’ the following are presented from their draft ‘Divo Wishlist’ (excusable when you consider how giddy with unrestrained power the team at APSC must feel.
> Try and avoid – male and clearly hetero. Score 1-2/10.
> Better. Female, incl classic accoutrements. Score 8-9/10.
> Best practice. Multi-culti/female, and stylish. Score 9-10/10
Clearly the organisation which benefits most from the largess of Australian’s bloated public sector has got its own priorities right. Whether they actually serve the public interest is a question for another time.
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