Parliament served with damages claim over bully MP’s ‘gaslighting’

Labor’s refusal to act on an MP found to have breached party rules 22 times has the victim questioning why Annastacia Palaszczuk marched for Brittany Higgins, but not her.

A claim seeking damages for bullying and harassment in the office of Labor MP Jim Madden has been served on Parliamentary Services, the agency responsible for the wellbeing of Queensland’s electorate staff.

Alison Young in January claimed that for years she had been bullied while working in the Labor MP’s Ipswich West electorate office.

Ms Young said WorkCover found Mr Madden excluded her in the office and was unreasonable in his work expectations.

“It’s like working with a live hand grenade, I just never know what’s going to happen,” she wrote.

Ms Young, through Shine Lawyers, has now served Parliamentary Services with a notice of claim for damages.

Shine Lawyers commercial litigation national practice leader Bree Smith said there was not yet a total amount in damages being sought, noting it would likely change due to ongoing psychological effects and Ms Young’s work prospects.

Ms Smith said the claim would attempt to prove Parliamentary Services knew about Ms Young’s complaints about her treatment in the Labor MP’s office and then “failed in their duty of care to take appropriate action”.

Member for Ipswich West Jim Madden in parliament

Clerk of the Parliament Neil Laurie said the service did not comment on human resources matters.

Ms Smith flagged possible future action against the Queensland Labor Party or Mr Madden.

“We’re considering making further claims,” she said.

The Labor Party earlier this year investigated Ms Young’s bullying complaint and determined Mr Madden breached party rules 22 times – however, he was not expelled and instead received harassment and anti-bullying training.

Ms Young criticised the Palaszczuk government and Labor’s response to her claims.

She questioned: “What’s the threshold, what’s the magic number for him to be expelled?

“There is clearly someone at fault.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk attends a protest with other ministers in 2021 calling for action against gendered violence in federal parliament.

Ms Young noted senior members of the Labor government had supported women seeking justice interstate, but not her own plight.

“Every workplace has a zero tolerance for bullying except if you’re an MP,” she said.

“They were all out there marching for Brittany Higgins, the women’s march calling for better treatment of females.

“Was it only staffers who don’t work for the ALP?”

A spokesman for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declined to say if Mr Madden should be expelled from the Labor Party, declaring it a matter for head office.

Mr Madden declined to comment on Ms Young’s claims.

A compulsory conference between Shine Lawyers and the Parliamentary Service will be held within six months, where the parties will seek to settle the matter.