- The deputy prime minister’s chief of staff took legal action
- Jo Tarnawsky resigned last month
The deputy prime minister’s chief of staff is suing the government over allegations she was forced to resign after making a bullying complaint.
Jo Tarnawsky has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the federal government, the deputy prime minister and the prime minister’s chief of staff.
Her lawyer, Michael Bradley, told Daily Mail Australia that she had been “frozen” from her job after making the complaint on April 29.
‘He texted Marles while they were on a plane flying back from a trip to Europe. He responded favorably and said they would talk the next day, but the next day he basically kicked her out.
“The deputy prime minister told her he didn’t want her to work for him anymore and she was excluded from that moment.”
Since April 30, Marles has been denied access to his office and his personal belongings are still there, Bradley said.
You have not suggested that Mr. Marles intimidated you.
Ms. Tarnawsky remains employed in her position, but on various licenses. She claims that after filing her complaint they locked her out of the office.
In a statement from Parliament, Tarnawsky told reporters that he was not aware of any investigation into the alleged harassment he reported.
“It has been more than 200 days since I privately raised my concerns with the deputy prime minister about bullying behavior in his office,” he said.
“As a result, I was exiled. My employment situation remains unresolved. No member of the government has come to check on my well-being.
The deputy prime minister’s chief of staff is suing the government over allegations she was forced to resign after making a bullying complaint.
“After the showcase of parliamentary workplace reforms has been launched, the government is testing in real time what it can get away with.”
Tarnawsky’s attorney, Michael Bradley, said last month that Marles made the call to fire her after she filed the harassment report.
“So what happened was that Jo raised a legitimate concern about issues within the deputy first minister’s office, including bullying behaviour, and the response was to dismiss her from her job,” he said.
“Jo accepts that it is a relationship of trust and confidence, and if that trust is not there, then of course it cannot continue.
“She is like any worker in the country, she has the right to fair treatment, a fair procedure and her rights as an employee have not been respected.”
The allegations come after the government passed legislation establishing a new independent body to crack down on bad behavior in parliament.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC) began functioning on 1 October.
more to come