NSW public servants trained in unconscious bias, intersex inclusion

Thousands of dollars are being spent training NSW public servants in being woke with lessons on “unconscious bias” and quizzes about whether staff are “hot or cold” towards white people.

Thousands of dollars are being spent training NSW public servants in “being woke”, with lessons in “unconscious bias”, employer guides on “intersex inclusion”, and quizzes about whether staff are “hot” or “cold” towards white people.

The Treasury department alone has spent $56,000 on the “SBS Cultural Inclusion” courses, while other departments say they are doing the courses but haven’t spent money in the past year.

At the Department of Communities and Justice more than 9000 staff have done the training at a cost to taxpayers of $22,000 a year.

Staff at the Department of Premier and Cabinet have also accessed the courses but say they haven’t paid anything for two years, while the Department of Regional NSW won’t reveal how much they are forking out for their staff training.

One Nation MP Mark Latham has slammed the courses, which includes social theories such as “aversive racism”. Picture: Richard Dobson

The Australian Taxpayers Alliance said the spend was “wasteful” and is “indoctrinating a single world view”.

One Nation MP Mark Latham, who uncovered the spending, said the lessons are “political indoctrination” woke politics and the public servants should be focusing on their day jobs.

Broadcaster SBS launched the courses in 2019 to “build cultural diversity in the workplace”.

They include sections on the theory of “unconscious bias” as well training about LGBTIQ, gender, indigenous and the disabled.

“These courses are designed to make participants hate Australia, white people in particular,” Mr Latham said.

“They depict our country as inherently racist, sexist and homophobic.

“It’s not about inclusion at all. It’s about division, propaganda and political indoctrination.

“It says a lot about how the NSW Government wastes taxpayers’ money on this stuff, instead of having public servants get on with their day jobs in delivering basic services.”

Australian Taxpayer Alliance chief operating officer Gabe Buckley said the spend ws a “gross misuse” of taxpayer funds.

Australian Taxpayer Alliance spokesman Gabe Buckley has questioned the funds allocated to the courses.

“Not only is it a gross misuse of taxpayer funds, it is inappropriate for the government to indoctrinate a worldview through propaganda,” he said.

Treasury’s official response on the spend was that the courses had “furthered employee’s knowledge of diversity” and the diverse public they serve.

Course materials contain links to the US “Implicit Association Test”, which claims “most Americans have an automatic preference for white over black” and includes questions like “How warm or cold do you feel towards White people?” in its quiz.

It also claims that the United States has a “high score on the masculinity dimension” which has “contributed to financial crises”.

Other sections are on “managing your bias” where participants are asked who they “prefer to spend time with at work” or talk to, and then are told to “challenge your biases” by changing their habits.

Originally published as NSW public servants trained in unconscious bias, intersex inclusion