Newcastle government’s recent appointments ‘reek of favouritism’, claims union

The United Services Union (USU) has slammed the recent appointment of two executive manager roles within the Newcastle local government, claiming the process contradicts council policy.

The USU has claimed that the city of Newcastle’s recent appointments of two new executive manager roles at the Civic Theatre and City Hall “[don’t] pass the pub test”, alleging the hiring process “reeks of favouritism”.

USU official Luke Hutchinson claimed the hiring process for the two roles – which are allegedly valued at $200,000 annually each – lacked transparency and fairness, breaching the local government’s own policies around merit-based selection.

“This is a slap in the face to the hundreds of casual workers who keep these venues running,” said Hutchinson.

“Over 70 per cent of staff at the Civic Theatre and City Hall are employed casually, many are young, lower-paid workers who’ve dedicated years to these spaces.

“Yet, [the] council appears to be quietly handing out permanent, high-paying roles to select individuals without a proper process.

“Casualisation is a big issue amongst our venue staff, they’d love to have permanent or permanent part-time roles but the council insists they must stay casual, but here we have a situation where people are getting permanent full-time roles on big money with no due process, it’s unfair and it doesn’t pass the pub test.”

According to the USU, the city of Newcastle failed to advertise the roles externally, opting to offer an internal expression-of-interest (EOI) process conducted and overseen by a single executive.

In a statement given to HR Leader, a spokesperson for the city of Newcastle claimed that the local government had responded to the USU’s concerns.

“City of Newcastle has responded in writing to the United Services Union in relation to their concerns regarding recruitment processes. An appropriate, merit-based recruitment process is currently underway, in accordance with legislative requirements.

“… There continues to be a mix of permanent and casual employees working across the Civic Theatre and City Hall, consistent with the typical employment profile in the hospitality and venues industries,” the spokesperson said.

The union has called on the city of Newcastle to reopen the hiring process to a larger talent pool.

“This isn’t just a union issue, it’s a community issue,” said Hutchinson.

“Our theatres and venues thrive because of passionate, hardworking staff. They deserve respect, transparency, and a fair go, not backroom deals.”