Council bans men from applying for street sweeper role

A local council which claims to be an equal opportunity employer has banned men from applying for one of its roles.

A Victorian local council that claims to be an Equal Opportunity Employer has banned men from applying for a street sweeper job.

Darebin City Council, which encompasses suburbs in Melbourne’s north, is taking applications for the role from people who identify as non-male as in “female, non-binary, gender nonconforming”.

“Council’s workforce strategy is focused on achieving a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects our community,” the job description said.

A street sweeper in Melbourne. Picture: Andrew Henshaw/NCA NewsWire

Further in the description, the council explained the man ban was allowed under the Special Measure Provision, Section 12 (1) of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic).

This legislation means that groups are allowed to take a “special measure for the purpose of promoting or realising substantive equality for members of a group with a particular attribute”.

Examples listed under the legislation include a swimming pool that is located in an area with a significant Muslim population that holds women-only swimming sessions to enable Muslim women who cannot swim in mixed company to use the pool.

At the bottom of the job description is a note saying Darebin Council is an “Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices”.

The Herald Sun reported that a government spokeswoman said the “recruitment of staff is a matter for the council”.

However, the Local Government Act requires that council chief executives seek to ensure gender equality while also making sure people are hired on merit.

Originally published as Council bans men from applying for street sweeper role