Ousted staffer blames Marles for alleged office bullying, wants him to say sorry

Ousted chief of staff Jo Tarnawsky says her former boss Richard Marles must take personal responsibility for the toxic bullying she alleges she endured in his office, otherwise she will take him and the prime minister’s chief of staff through a lengthy court process.

Tarnawsky on Monday launched legal action against the deputy prime minister, the Commonwealth and Anthony Albanese’s most senior staffer, Tim Gartrell, for allegedly pushing her out of her role after she complained of being ignored, belittled and excluded from crucial conversations.

Richard Marles’ chief of staff Jo Tarnawsky.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The lawsuit will guarantee ongoing scrutiny of the workplace scandal and test the Albanese government’s commitment to safe parliamentary workplaces, as it tries to fulfil its election commitment to weed out bad behaviour in Canberra by introducing a suite of new rules.

Federal Court documents filed on Monday claim the deputy prime minister’s media adviser Kate Hanns routinely ignored her, belittled her and excluded her from crucial information until she complained in April.

Tarnawsky, who technically remains the chief of staff on a $270,000 salary, alleges that Marles initially supported her but then worked with Gartrell to effectively oust her from her role. In an April 30 call described in the court documents, Tarnawsky alleges that the minister told her “Ms Hanns … meant so much more to Mr Marles than just an important staff member”.

The statement of claim, seen by this masthead, alleges Hanns bullied and harassed Tarnawsky from May 2023 as she cited examples of being gradually iced out of the office culture and being treated in “an abrasive, hostile and exclusionary manner”.

In early 2024, more staff allegedly bullied Tarnawsky by gossiping about her within earshot of Marles and her, refusing to engage with her about a trip to Ukraine and excluding her from team outings.

Tarnawsky alleged that after she made bullying complaints, she was frozen out to the point she stopped receiving team emails, her ability to view details of Marles’ diary was restricted, and her dog pictures had been removed from the office’s shared pet wall.

A defence against the claims has not been filed and the claims are untested.

Speaking to this masthead, Tarnawsky said she was willing to talk with the government about finding a resolution to the bitter public dispute but wanted to see a form of accountability.

“Ultimately, it is up to the prime minister to take responsibility and to hold the deputy prime minister to account,” she said.

Tarnawsky referred to a letter she wrote to the prime minister last month, outlining options she wanted him to explore.

These included issuing an apology that “acknowledges that the way I have been treated has fallen short of the standards”, referring Marles to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission or reviewing Marles’ position as chair of the government staffing committee.

“We’re open to discussions with the government, but we’re also prepared to go all the way [legally] if we need to,” she said.

At a press conference in Parliament House on Monday, a visibly shaking Tarnawsky said she had been forced to wait 200 days without a resolution since she last worked as chief of staff.

“The government has been afforded multiple opportunities to rectify the wrongs done to me, but it has done nothing except duck and cover, collude and delay,” she said.

Tarnawsky is suing for hurt, distress, humiliation and damage to her health and reputation.

Tarnawsky’s lawyers – solicitor Michael Bradley and barrister Rebecca Davern – claim under the Fair Work Act that Marles, Gartrell and the Commonwealth engaged in adverse action against the staffer by effectively pushing her out of her role.

Tarnawsky claims she told Marles in April that she was being bullied. He responded that he valued her and would discuss the issue that day, but the pair agreed to postpone the discussion, Tarnawsky alleges. Then in another call, Tarnawsky claims, he said the situation was not “fixable” and she would have to leave “with dignity”.

Hanns, the deputy prime minister’s office and the prime minister’s office were contacted for comment, with an Albanese government spokesperson responding: “This matter is subject to legal proceedings, and it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

After returning from leave in May, Tarnawsky alleges she was informed by another government employee that Gartrell and Marles had decided she should take an inferior job outside the deputy prime minister’s office. She was restricted from entering her old office without 24 hours’ notice, Tarnawsky alleges.

But Tarnawsky was allowed back to parliament for the week of the 2024 budget, which was held on May 14, where she was to network in the hopes of finding a new job that would give her what Gartrell allegedly described as “agency” in her “story about leaving”.

Tarnawsky met with Marles and Gartrell in Parliament House on May 16 where she claims the minister allegedly told her to take half a year of leave “off the books”. Tarnawsky did not agree to the proposal that would have cost the taxpayer $135,000 for no work.

Tarnawsky claimed that by August, she was effectively removed from her role after another person began acting as chief of staff, moved into her old office, and her office group chats became inactive.

Marles himself is not accused of bullying Tarnawsky – a former diplomat – and she claims he had never raised issues about her performance in the most senior role in his office.

Tarnawsky previously said the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service was briefing lawyers to deal with her after she engaged her own lawyers to access more counselling services.

Marles has previously said he had worked to support Tarnawsky’s wellbeing and that of his other staff as he managed the situation. “She has given me great service, and I remain deeply grateful for that,” Marles said.

His spokeswoman has also disputed unspecified parts of Tarnawsky’s “assertions and recollections”.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.