Fresh details as Marles’ chief of staff launches legal action amid workplace dispute

Richard Marles’ chief of staff has launched legal action after claiming she was bullied out of her job, with another high profile figure also named in the lawsuit.

Richard Marles’ chief of staff is suing the Commonwealth, her boss and Anthony Albanese’s chief of staff a month-and-a-half after publicly making bombshell allegations she was being bullied out of her job.

Jo Tarnawsky, who has worked with the Deputy Prime Minister for a decade, has claimed she has been in employment limbo for months after reporting bullying behaviour to Mr Marles.

Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Monday, Ms Tarnawsky said her “workplace situation remains unresolved”.

“Today, after untenable delays in action from the government, I’m lodging legal proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia,” she said.

“Six weeks ago, I spoke out publicly to review what was happening to me behind closed doors.

“As far as I know, there’s been no investigation into the behaviours reported.”

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles’ chief of staff Jo Tarnawsky has launched legal action after claiming she was bullied out of her job. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

She said no one from the government had reached out to her since she first aired her grievances in October.

“Three weeks ago I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to intervene and to hold the Deputy Prime Minister to account for the way that I had been treated,” Ms Tarnawsky said.

“The Prime Minister has not responded.”

She alleged she had been tossed about between various public service departments, and accused them of engaging “the same lawyers from the same law firm who were also clearly taking instructions from the Deputy Prime Minister.”

“They have not been able to assure me that my private information and psychological safety will be protected, and they cannot deal with the most important issue I have raised,” Ms Tarnawsky alleged.

“That is, for those who did this to me to be held accountable and to ensure that nobody else in this place is ever treated this way again.”

NewsWire has contacted both Mr Marles and Mr Albanese’s offices for comment.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles’ office has been contacted for comment. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Ms Tarnawsky named three respondents in her lawsuit, including the Department of Finance, Mr Marles and Timothy Gartrell, Mr Albanese’s chief of staff.

The Department of Finance pays public servant salaries while Mr Marles hired her.

Ms Tarnawsky on Friday filed documents with the Federal Court. A defence has yet to be filed by any of the respondents and the allegations contained within have yet to be tested in court.

A government spokesperson said: “This matter is subject to legal proceedings, and it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

In a statement of claim seen by NewsWire, Ms Tarnawsky says that during her employment in the $270,000-a-year role in Mr Marles’ office, she received “regular praise for her high performance” and “no negative performance reviews or feedback”.

Ms Tarnawsky has alleged that from about May 2023, she was subjected to an “escalating course of conduct” by Marles’ director of media Kate Hanns “which amounted to bullying and harassment”.

She has alleged, according to the documents filed with the court, that Ms Hanns would routinely not respond to or acknowledge her messages, thereby undermining her authority.

NewsWire has contacted Ms Hanns for comment.

Ms Tarnawsky also claimed she was belittled and criticised in front of colleagues and within

her earshot.

Richard Marles’ chief of staff Jo Tarnawsky. Picture: NewsWire / David Beach

The Prime Minister’s chief of staff Tim Gartrell. Picture: Supplied/Twitter.

She further said she was isolated from team activities and subjected to “bullying and harassment” by other staff members.

In April this year, Ms Tarnawsky travelled with Mr Marles and other staff members to the UAE, Turkey, Poland and Ukraine.

And on the flight home she says she sent Mr Marles a message complaining that she had been bullied.

Mr Marles replied, Ms Tarnawsky said, by telling her she had done “amazing” work during the Ukraine visit and that he knew “things are not going well”, before promising to talk about the issue that afternoon.

However she claims that on April 29, Mr Marles spoke to Mr Gartrell and “informed him that he no longer wanted Ms Tarnawsky” as his chief of staff.

Later that day, she says she received a call from Marles in which she was told he didn’t think her issue was “fixable”.

She says she was told there had been issues with her for “over a year”, that she would not travel with his staff to Hawaii and to take an “immediate break”.

She says she was further offered the chance to depart the role “with dignity” after being given time to find a new job.

Defence minister Richard Marles. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman.

She commenced leave on May 1 that she thought would be for “a number of weeks”.

She alleges in the court documents she was told in July that an acting chief of staff had been appointed and that she could only come into the office if approved and with one day’s notice.

Ms Tarnawsky alleges she was not provided with certainty about her role or provided with a termination notice.

She says she was subjected to adverse action after exercising her workplace rights.

She claims he suffered loss and damage including - medical bills, as well as enduring hurt, humiliation and reputational damage.

The matter will come before the Federal Court at a later date.

Originally published as Fresh details as Marles’ chief of staff launches legal action amid workplace dispute