Marles staffer taking deputy prime minister to court after mediation fails

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles’ chief of staff, Jo Tarnawsky, is taking him and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s chief of staff to court after weeks of mediation failed.

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

Mediation between the parties began on January 28 and continued into February before breaking down with no settlement, pushing the case to be listed for directions before the Federal Court on Tuesday.

Jo Tarnawsky and Richard Marles.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Government sources confirmed, on the condition of anonymity, that the Commonwealth went into negotiations with a positive attitude and a desire to settle, but it was not where the dispute landed.

The case moving to court will cause a headache for the prime minister as he focuses on an election, but the development will guarantee ongoing scrutiny of the workplace scandal and test whether federal Labor can maintain its commitment to a safe parliamentary workplace.

Federal Court documents filed in November claimed the deputy prime minister’s media adviser, Kate Hanns, routinely ignored Tarnawsky, 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.

The revelations were first made in October last year, as Tarnawsky said being ousted from Marles’ office left her with suicidal thoughts.

Tarnawsky also alleged parliament’s new support service – the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service – had briefed lawyers to deal with her.

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. Gartrell is also not accused of bullying. Tarnawsky’s allegations and recollections are disputed.

Previously asked about Tarnawsky’s revelations in question time, Marles said: “She has given me great service, and I remain deeply grateful for that.”

The defence minister’s office declined to comment on mediation failing.

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