DOJ executive purge designed to politicise public service

Recently, the Victorian Ombudsman announced his office would commence investigating the executive purge and mass hiring of replacement staff at the Department of Justice as part of a fascinating probe into the politicisation of the public service” under the Andrews government. The investigation centres on the hiring of another 37 executives on salaries ranging from $170,000 to $370,000 in a single meeting in May 2019. The jobs weren’t advertised and no executive search company, engaged. Since 2018, the number of executives at the Department of Justice and Community Safety has gone from 73 to 176 with more than $1.24 billion now spent on salaries.