‘Bullied’ Marles staffer says support service lawyered up after ouster

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles’ chief of staff Jo Tarnawsky claims she was ousted from the job after seeking help over alleged bullying by her colleagues that left her with suicidal thoughts and discovered parliament’s new support service was briefing lawyers to deal with her.

Marles himself is not accused of bullying but Tarnawsky, a former diplomat and one of the most senior women in the government, claims he shunted her aside in April despite never previously taking issue with her performance.

Jo Tarnawsky at a press conference at Parliament House on Thursday morning.Credit: AAP

The allegations are the first major test for Labor on its promises to create a more respectful workplace culture in parliament after the scandals that beset the previous Coalition government.

In an interview with this masthead, Tarnawsky said the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, created to fix cultural problems in politics after the Brittany Higgins scandal, had threatened to cut her off from counselling when she was at her lowest and engaged lawyers to deal with her.

The service declined to comment on the case, but it is understood that while Tarnawsky had been informed she was reaching her limit, counselling services are based on individual circumstances and needs and she was given swift approval to continue accessing the services.

Tarnawsky said earlier on Thursday that she had been left “broken” by the alleged bullying but decided to go public after speaking to her daughter. “She said, ‘Mum, maybe if you told people the truth maybe [that] would help you.’”

“I am being bullied out of a job I loved [and] that I was doing well,” Tarnawsky claimed at an emotional press conference in parliament. “It was a job that I dreamed of having since I first visited Parliament House as a child.

“I am the most senior female chief of staff on the hill, and my workplace is not safe.”

Tarnawsky, who still technically retains her job, said she wanted truth and accountability and that the government could help determine its form. “A lot of the load has been put on me to fix the problem I didn’t create,” Tarnawsky said. She is being advised by Michael Bradley of Marque Lawyers and has not yet lodged a legal claim.

Tarnawsky, who had worked for Marles when Labor was last in government, became his chief of staff soon after the party won government in 2022, and he became defence minister.

Sources familiar with the atmosphere in the office, who requested anonymity to talk about the sensitive dispute, described Tarnawsky as a by-the-book operator from the public service who wanted communications to go through her. That upset other staff who had their own connections to Marles, leading to relationship breakdowns.

Tarnawsky declined to go into details of her complaint but said that dynamic had never been raised with her. By the middle of the year, after a high-stakes and logistically difficult trip to Ukraine at the end of April, she flagged office issues with Marles. “My main request for him was just to be aware of it so he didn’t inadvertently feed the dynamics,” Tarnawsky said.

While Marles was initially supportive, Tarnawsky said he called her on April 30 and “made it clear I should start looking for alternative employment”.

“Any of my attempts to resolve the issue or to discuss it in person were refused. He demanded that I take several weeks of leave immediately,” she said.

“I was shocked, but he assured me that I had not been stood down and that I would be treated with total dignity. He said: ‘Trust me, I know how to handle this’.”

Tarnawsky alleged that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s chief of staff, Tim Gartrell, told her in June that she would not be able to return to Marles’ office. She remains officially employed there but is unable to enter her own office without giving 24 hours’ notice, instead spending several months seconded to a different government job. A spokeswoman for the prime minister and Gartrell declined to comment, while the prime minister said he was “aware of it, and I was briefed on it” in response to a question at the ASEAN Summit in Laos.

“The acting prime minister has responded to this publicly, and due to the nature of it, I don’t intend to add any further comments,” Albanese said. The minister for women, Katy Gallagher, said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on a specific case but said people could contact parliament’s support service.

“I have confidence in the system that has been established by the parliament after careful consultation and work by the parliamentary leadership taskforce,” she said in a statement.

Tarnawsky said she contacted the support service after Marles told her she had to go and was directed to free counselling. But Tarnawsky said the service told her in June she was reaching her limit after fewer than 10 sessions and threatened to cut her off.

“I knew that wasn’t right,” Tarnawsky said.

After Tarnawsky engaged a lawyer to represent her, the service gave her more counselling sessions but also then contracted its own lawyers to deal with her. “It felt to me that they were pushing an agenda that wasn’t mine,” Tarnawsky said.

The service said in a statement that it takes bullying allegations seriously but could not comment on individual cases. “Generally matters of this nature are complex and take time to resolve,” the statement reads. “Clients are encouraged to provide feedback on their experience.”

Marles said in question time on Thursday that he had complied with his obligation as a minister to “uphold the highest workplace standards”.

He praised Tarnawsky as a “wonderful person” with a strong commitment to social justice. “She has given me great service, and I remain deeply grateful for that,” Marles said in response to a question from shadow minister for women Sussan Ley.

He said he had attempted to safeguard Tarnawsky’s welfare and that of his other staff in the situation that left him “deeply sad”, but would not address her allegations directly as lawyers were involved. The prime minister’s office had been informed for months, Marles confirmed.

In response, Tarnawsky told this masthead: “There’s 100 different ways you could have handled this, and 99 of them would have been better than this one.”

Tarnawsky said she had since suffered nightmares, flashbacks, symptoms of depression and anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

“I am talking about some of the most powerful people in the country who are able to close ranks, casually dismiss my story, smear and background against me and put their own political survival ahead of any concern for truth or my wellbeing,” she said.

A spokesperson for the deputy prime minister said that “a number of the assertions and recollections are contested”.

“Ms Tarnawsky remains a member of staff,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Ms Tarnawsky has been treated with respect and courtesy. At all times, the wellbeing of staff, including Ms Tarnawsky, has been front of mind. Out of respect for Ms Tarnawsky, and the prospect of legal proceedings, it is not appropriate to make further comment.”

A spokeswoman for Jane Hume, the opposition frontbencher who is leading the Liberals’ work implementing the Jenkins review into parliament’s workplace culture, said everyone deserved a respectful workplace.

“The reporting today is concerning but the parliament has appropriate mechanisms to deal with these issues,” the spokeswoman said. “We trust that those involved have sought any support they need from the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service.”

Support is available through Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, Sane on 1800 187 263, and Dolly’s Dream on 0488 881 033.

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