Keen job hunters are wondering why they bother: Fairfax observers were
interested to learn that after a high profile advertising effort and almost two
months of deliberations in the search for an associate editor of Good Weekend,
the quest ended no further than a few steps from editor Judith Whelan’s own
desk, with the announcement last week that the mag’s chief sub, Cindy
MacDonald, had landed the role.

While MacDonald is no doubt an excellent choice and more than qualified for the
job, the 100 or so (presumably mainly external) applicants must have been left
wondering why they were encouraged to waste their time polishing up their CVs,
having been tempted to believe that GW seriously wanted any new blood in the
first place. Were they unwitting participants in some tokenistic HR process –
or could there be a hint of xenophobia about it all?

Meanwhile, Kym Richardson, the Liberal MP for Kingston elected in October,
advertised widely in the media in December for an executive assistant. No
applications were subsequently acknowledged by the MP, and although an
appointment was made several months ago, the unsuccessful applicants have still
not been advised. Is this the new standard in the Government’s employment
policies?