Council bans men from applying for ‘exciting job’

The special measure by a Melbourne council aims to 'foster greater equality'.

A council in Australia has banned men from applying for an "exciting" job opportunity. Wait for it... street sweeping. Darebin City Council in Melbourne has made the vacancy available to anyone who is non-male. Applicants will be considered who are women along with anyone who identifies as non-binary or gender non-conforming, the job advert states.

The street sweeping vacancy in Australia is only for non-binary candidates

The job pays up to $63,000 - £33K- a year plus super (superannuation).

The council, in the advert, explains that it is focused on "achieving a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects our community" and wanted to remove barriers: "We are actively identifying some positions, in recognition that some groups are underrepresented in areas of our workforce." The move, the council explains, constitutes a special measure under the Special Measure Provision of the Equal Opportunity Act. The Act aims to "foster greater equality". The street sweeping job, on the day street cleaning team, is described as an "exciting position". "As a Street Sweeper operator, you will make a positive contribution to maintaining a high level of cleanliness and general appearance of Council’s footpaths, nature strips, roads, car parks and right of ways," the advert reads. [caption id="attachment_288038" align="alignnone" width="1460"]

Non-binary only street sweeping advertised in Melbourne

Screenshot of the advert taken from the Darebin City Council website[/caption] "The focus of the day shift group is to clean and mechanically sweep residential streets, shop fronts, hard waste pick up, dumped rubbish collection, and laneway cleaning."

Gender equality expert Dr Leonora Risse told 7News the job advertisement was a "powerful example of supporting and encouraging women to step into a role that has traditionally been the domain of men".

When asked about the council's recent development, Premier Daniel Andrew said: "I will not sit here ever and try and unravel the mysteries of the Darebin council."