Albanese Government Is Looking For A Specialist LGBT Advisor
Image: Sydney WorldPride 2023 March on March 5, 2023. Image: Sydney WorldPride/ Jaime Joy.
The Anthony Albanese government has advertised for a specialist LGBTQI advisor to join the Sydney-based Australian Human Rights Commission.
This comes after advocacy groups had called out the government for failing to appoint an LGBTIQA+ Human Rights Commissioner and not providing funding for a specialist adviser.
The AHRC said it was looking for someone with a “demonstrated specialist knowledge and understanding of sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex rights and human rights issues and confidence in delivering information succinctly and cogently”.
Advising The Human Rights Commission
According to the job description, the Specialist Adviser (SOGII) would be “responsible for the provision of advice to the Commission and the Sex Discrimination Commissioner on sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex rights issues both in a domestic and international context.”
AHRC said that it strongly encourages “applications from First Nations Australians, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, carers, LGBTQI+ and people with disability.”
“This is an ongoing Executive Level 1 vacancy with a salary range of $107,355 to $120,035pa pus 15.4% superannuation,” the job posting added.
Calls For LGBTQI Commissioner
Advocacy organisations have welcomed the announcement. “The new adviser position may help lift the profile of LGBTIQA+ issues to the government and wider community,” Just.Equal spokesperson Brian Greig said in a statement.
The organisation has been calling on the government to appoint a full-time LGBTQI commissioner, which was part of Labor policy in 2018, but was dropped ahead of the 20222 federal elections.
“The nation’s human rights watchdog has dedicated commissioners for Sex, Race, Disability, Age, Children, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. There is no one for LGBTIQA+ people despite the obvious need,” Greig said.
According to Just.Equal, “the LGBTIQA+ portfolio has been shuffled around within the Commission for years and currently sits with the president, but it has no specific home because there is no LGBTIQA+ Commissioner.”
“In recent years the AHRC has engaged in little or no advocacy for LGBTIQA+ people despite increasing attacks on our rights, especially the rights of trans and gender diverse people, and attacks under cover of ‘religious freedom’,” added Greig.
To apply for the job, visit the AHRC website here.
