The Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles is being sued by his chief of staff, for allegedly ousting her after she raised an internal bullying complaint. Jo Tarnawsky has launched legal action in the Federal Court, providing an unwelcome distraction for the government in the final sitting week of the year.
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00:00Sidelined for 200 days and now headed for court.
00:07Today, after untenable delays and inaction from the government,
00:11I am launching legal proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia.
00:14Jo Tanowski filing legal action against the government,
00:18the Deputy Prime Minister
00:20and the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, Tim Gartrell,
00:23over the handling of a bullying complaint.
00:26In the statement of claim, she says
00:28she was subject to an escalating course of conduct
00:31from a senior staff member,
00:33which amounted to bullying and harassment.
00:36After she raised the complaints in April,
00:38she alleges Mr Miles informed her she was not stood down
00:42but was directed to take an immediate break from work
00:45and to find alternative employment.
00:47She alleges she was gradually isolated
00:50from the Deputy Prime Minister's team,
00:52claiming she ceased receiving team emails
00:55and discovered dog pictures had been removed
00:58from the office's shared pet wall.
01:00She's been in a state of limbo,
01:03frozen out for, as she said, over 200 days now.
01:08The statement of claim also makes specific mention
01:11of a trip to Ukraine,
01:13during which Ms Tanowski was under pressure
01:15to ensure the expense to taxpayers and risk to staff was justified
01:20to prevent the trip becoming a $350,000 war zone coffee.
01:24The government has been afforded multiple opportunities
01:27to rectify the wrongs done to me,
01:29but it has done nothing except duck and cover, collude and delay.
01:33There's no allegations of bullying against Tim Gartrell
01:37or Richard Miles, who's previously said he's satisfied
01:40he's upheld the code of conduct.
01:42Today, a spokesperson's saying,
01:44as the matter's subject to legal proceedings,
01:47there won't be further comment.
01:49This week marks three years
01:51since the Sex Discrimination Commissioner
01:53released her landmark report into parliamentary standards.
01:56The Albanese government came into power promising to lift them
02:00and now faces a challenge,
02:02as one of the most senior female staffers in parliament
02:05alleges her experience falls far short
02:08of a safe and respectful workplace.