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A former senior public servant has claimed he was told he was "too Irish" to be employed at a high level in Victoria.
Nial Finegan was chief executive of the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) until 2018 and alleges the statement was made by Chris Eccles, the former secretary of Victoria's Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC).
The department has rejected the claim and said the allegations are "inaccurate".
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Finegan spent 15 years in the Victorian public service, but claims his run came to an end after a meeting with Eccles.
"I went in to see Chris Eccles about career opportunities in 2019," Finegan told 9News.
"He said, 'Nial, this is really important for you to understand, you won't hold another senior role in the public service'.
"When I asked why, he said, 'you're just too Irish'."
Finegan was born and raised in Ireland. He came to Australia in 2003.
Finegan said he remained silent about the conversation until he saw a tweet from Daniel Andrews over the weekend about recruiting nurses from Ireland.
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He said that tweet pushed him to go public with the allegations.
"It doesn't do me any good to stand up and talk like this, but it's a matter of integrity," Finegan said.
"It's a sad reflection on Victoria."
Andrews was asked about the allegations today outside parliament. He described them as "nonsense".
A Department of Premier and Cabinet spokesperson said Eccles "has rejected the claims and found the accusation of racism deeply offensive".
Source: 9News
