Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has been accused of moving his chief of staff out of her job after she raised bullying concerns within the office in Parliament.
This week, Jo Tarnawsky suggested the way she had been treated as the Government’s most senior female chief of staff had taken a significant toll on her mental health. Tarnawsky has not alleged Marles bullied her.
Meanwhile, the Federal Greens have responded this week to reports of a toxic culture in MPs and Senators’ offices.
Here’s what you need to know.
Chief of staff
In politics, a chief of staff is the head of a member of parliament’s office. Senior government offices can have large teams made up of policy and media advisers (known as “staffers”).
Jo Tarnawsky worked in multiple overseas Government posts – including in Italy and India – before she was hired as Marles’ chief of staff in 2012.
She left Marles’ office in 2013 and returned when he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister after the 2022 election.
Bullying claims
Tarnawsky gave a statement to media at Parliament House yesterday, saying she raised concerns about bullying within Marles’ office to him during a trip to Ukraine in April.
The bullying claims were not about Marles himself, but related to other staff working in his office. Within weeks, Tarnawsky said she received a call from Marles where he encouraged her to seek “alternative employment”.
While she still technically retains her job, Tarnawsky said she has been unable to access her office or perform her role since she tried to return in June.
Marles’ response
Shadow Minister for Women Sussan Ley asked Marles about the allegations raised by Tarnawsky during Question Time yesterday.
Marles responded that Tarnawsky was a “wonderful person” who provided “great service”.
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“I feel deeply sad that events have got to where they have,” he added.
He said the matter was in the “hands of lawyers”, restricting his ability to make additional public comments about the matter.
What now?
Tarnawsky said she made a complaint to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS). She claimed the PWSS used lawyers to manage her case.
When making her statement at Parliament, she was accompanied by Michael Bradley, Managing Partner at the firm Marque Lawyers. It’s not clear whether she plans to take further legal action.
Reforms to clean up Parliament’s workplace culturewhich include setting up an independent body to investigate misconduct complaints separately from the PWSS.
The Greens
Meanwhile, allegations of bullying have also dogged the Greens in recent months.
Nine Newspapers revealed 20 staffers had left WA Senator Dorinda Cox’s office over the past three years, who attributed the high turnover to bullying.
Senator Cox, insisting she had taken steps to address concerns which had been raised with her. Cox claimed she was unaware of some of the reports aired in the media.
Separately, The Nine Newspapers also aired responses from a Greens workplace survey conducted in 2020.
The responses detailed experiences of a “toxic workplace culture” in the Federal Greens. This included yelling, bullying, and a “culture of servitude”.
The allegations did not refer to specific MPs or Senators.
In a statement to TDA, Greens leader Adam Bandt said: “This was 4 years ago, and where specific concerns were raised, we acted on them at the time.”
