Qld integrity crisis: Annastacia Palaszczuk’s response to ‘b***h’ claims lashed

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been slammed by a domestic violence and justice expert for her response to workplace issues between two senior government bureaucrats.

An anti-domestic-violence and legal justice advocate has slammed Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for her response to workplace issues between two senior government bureaucrats.

Ms Palaszczuk said outgoing Integrity Commissioner Nikola Stepanov and Public Service Commission boss Rob Setter should “sit in a room” and sort out their differences.

This comes after Dr Stepanov told a parliamentary committee that Mr Setter had called her a “bitch on a witch hunt” during a phone call in 2018, which Mr Setter has categorically denied.

Advocate Kelli Martin said she was appalled to hear the Premier’s comments.

“I actually have been in that position before in the very early stages of my career when I was a baby lawyer,” Ms Martin said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk during Question Time in Queensland Parliament yesterday. Picture: Tertius Pickard/NCA NewsWire

“I had a male boss who was bullying, there was a lot of bullying kind of comments being made and you feel helpless.”

Ms Martin said her boss did not take the situation seriously.

“To tell a woman to get into a room with her accuser and have a ‘full and frank discussion’ is dismissive and entirely inappropriate,” she said.

“One would think someone in (Ms Palaszczuk’s) position should know better, especially as a female who’s worked her way to the top.”

Ms Martin said bullying can appear in any industry, especially law, which has traditionally been male-dominated.

“I think governments historically are the same,” she said.

Ms Martin called for Ms Palaszczuk to apologise to Dr Stepanov ahead of the National Anti-Bullying Day of Action on Friday.