Museum boss ‘disappointed' at media leaks as union questions Titanic hires
The Age on Monday revealed that Museums Victoria had revised its hiring policies after anti-corruption agencies investigated whistleblower allegations it skirted public sector rules when it appointed staff who had personal connections with senior executives as part of a hiring surge during the Titanic exhibition.
In response, the Community and Public Sector Union wrote to Museums Victoria on Monday, demanding it explain its hiring processes, and whether staff were disadvantaged by it.
The union, which is negotiating a new pay deal, also demanded to see 'the criteria or processes used to identify, assess and appoint candidates' during the Titanic exhibition held at Melbourne Museum, and asked whether any of the positions filled at this time 'were later extended or converted to ongoing roles'.
The appointments were part of a recruitment drive during the blockbuster Titanic exhibition, which ran from December 2023 to April 2024 and was the museum's most popular touring show since 2016.
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The success of the exhibition prompted senior management to extend exhibition hours and argue that existing staff were too stretched – necessitating the urgent hiring of extra visitor engagement officers and retail assistants.
The roles were not publicly advertised, and no formal interviews were conducted. One former employee said retail and visitor officer jobs at the museum were highly sought after and often attracted hundreds of applications.
The hiring round recruited nine people in all – eight of whom had personal connections to senior staff, including some with links to the family of chief operating officer Sean Royal, who already had two daughters working at the museum.
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