Liberal MPs slam ‘Diversity, equity and inclusion’-style defence job

The Department of Defence is hiring at “gender diversity and inclusion” officer, which could pay up to $130,000. The role has been criticised by the Coalition as a waste of money.

A Department of Defence job paying $130,000 for a “gender diversity and inclusion” officer has been slammed by Liberal MPs, in the wake of a Coalition election pledge to cut similar roles as Donald Trump runs roughshod over equivalent initiatives in the United States.

The role, which pays between $115,899 to $130,733 and seeks an assistant director tasked with making science and technology research within Defence more gender diverse, comes after Opposition leader Peter Dutton criticised similar jobs while pledging to cut the public service.

Coalition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie said the military was not a “test tube for social engineers” and that the department should focus on core roles.

“The no-fail mission of the ADF is to fight and win Australia’s wars,” he said.

“Everything must support this vital mission. Our military is not a test tube for social engineers or the plaything of political activists.”

Shadow Minister for Defence Andrew Hastie. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Liberal Senator Alex Antic said taxpayers would agree the role and ones similar to it were a waste of government spending.

“It seems incredible that this needs to be said, but the person who gets the job in any organisation should be the best person for that job, regardless of their gender, sexuality, or ethnicity,” he said.

“Surely this is even more critical in our Defence sector, where national security, not ‘diversity’, is the paramount concern.”

Returned US President Donald Trump has already signed executive orders slashing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in his government, with Senator Antic saying he hoped the same approach would be taken in Australia.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on January 31, 2025. (Photo by Mandel Ngan / AFP)

“All Australian government departments need to return to a merit-based hiring approach, as appears to be happening in the US. My hope is that we will witness an end to the stranglehold that the DEI narrative has on our bureaucracies,” he said.

Mr Dutton on Friday used a speech at the Menzies Research Centre to take aim at the public service, criticising Labor for hiring 36,000 public sector workers while targeting positions like “culture, diversity and inclusion advisers, change managers, and internal communication specialists”.

Senator Alex Antic. Picture: NewsWire/ Richard Gosling

“Such positions … do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians,” he said.

On Sunday he doubled down, telling the ABC an elected-Coalition government would “protect frontline positions, but we’re not going to allow the public service to balloon”.

“If we find wasteful spending, our intent is to cut it. That will result in, obviously, an overall reduction in government expenditure,” he said on Sunday.

Newly-appointed Coalition spokeswoman for government efficiency Jacinta Nampijinpa Price last week also said taxpayer-funding for Welcome to Country ceremonies could also be redirected, after $450,000 was spent on the move in the last two years.

The Department of Defence didn’t respond to requests for comment before deadline.