Six-figure sum for First Peoples adviser job

A new adviser will be hired to brief the Premier and ministers on Indigenous cultural issues — but the role comes with a hefty price tag for taxpayers.

Indigenous people are "strongly encouraged” to apply for the $490k per year job.

Taxpayers will fork out almost half a million dollars annually for a new public servant who will brief the Premier and ministers on cultural rights and treaty and truth issues.

The state government will hire an executive officer to lead the First ­Peoples State Relations group.

But critics say Victorian Aboriginal communities should be the ones to benefit from that money, not a public servant.

The job advertisement says Indigenous people are strongly encouraged to apply.

It is understood the successful ­applicant will oversee the group’s strategic policy analysis and provide advice to Premier Daniel Andrews and Aboriginal Affairs Minister ­Gabrielle Williams.

The advertisement reads: “We are committed to building ongoing, just and respectful relationships between self-determining First Peoples and the state as a priority focus.”

Critics have slammed the pay on offer.

The successful applicant will pocket between $370,332 and $493,229 per year.

Opposition spokesman for scrutiny of government James Newbury said that amount of taxpayer money could be put to better use.

“How typical of Daniel Andrews. Instead of offering real support to the Indigenous community on the ground where it is needed, he is spending half a million dollars on ­another public servant,” he said.

“Labor’s sick spending on the public service is grotesque and an affront to every Victorian taxpayer who is footing the bill.”

Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said the “ever-growing and overly compensated” public sector was hurting Victorians forced to endure business closures and income loss during lockdowns.

“While there is no question that ­investing in Indigenous communities is important and critical to the healing of our nation, one would have to question the timing of the creation of yet another public service position at a time when they are putting the livelihoods of small-business families at enormous risk with Victoria’s fifth lockdown,” Mr Lang said.

“To the government and its public service, this pandemic has been business as usual, with all receiving pay rises, additional payments to work from home and continued growth in personal wealth, while small-business owners and their families are forced to eat into their personal savings, assets and superannuation to survive.”

Institute of Public Affairs director of research Daniel Wild said politicians and bureaucrats were “insulated from the costs of the lockdowns”.

“This is an unconscionable break of faith and confidence of the Victorian people … (It) goes to show that we are not all in this together and we never have been,” Mr Wild said.

“Public sector workers should be taking a 20 per cent pay cut in solidarity with the private sector workers and small-business owners wiped out by lockdowns. And there should be a ban on all public sector hiring.”

A Department of Premier and Cabinet spokeswoman said the pay on offer was the band set by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal for such a senior position.