Ex-Coalition staffer says abuse of women in workplace ‘covered up’

A former Coalition ministerial staffer has spoken of a ‘cover-up’ culture where demeaning behaviour towards women was tolerated, and offenders simply moved to another office.

A former Coalition government ministerial staffer has spoken of a “cover-up” culture where demeaning behaviour towards women was tolerated instead of addressed, and offenders simply moved to another office.

The whistleblower, speaking on the condition of anonymity and who has now left the minister’s ­office, has spoken of demeaning behaviour by a colleague who was sacked — only to be later rehired by another minister.

Among the inappropriate behaviour included joking with the receptionist, who was in her early 20s, about wanting to star in a porn film with her and what they would do.

The matter was referred to the chief-of-staff, who told the staffer that the behaviour was ­inappropriate.

A whistleblower has spoken out about a ‘cover-up’ culture in Australian politics.

By the time the staffer was sacked from his job, he had alienated so many staff that his former chief-of-staff sent him an email to advise him that his planned attendance at a social cricket Test event would not be welcomed.

“Given that you refused to talk to either myself or the minister regarding the reasons of your removal, I will now take the opportunity to inform you of them,” the chief-of-staff wrote.

The listed reasons included “rudeness”, “particularly to female staff”, declaring he did not know why a conversation was taking place after being counselled for an “inappropriate comment to a female staff member”, asking a female staffer who had instructed him to help organise a ministerial event if she was also going to show him “how to wipe my arse”, telling another female staffer that she could not go home until she “cleaned the glassware”, and openly declaring his dislike of the “women’s portfolio”.

A police investigation is under way into claims by several young women about Frank Zumbo, the office manager of Hughes MP Craig Kelly. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

The whistleblower said there needed to be an independent and external body set up outside of the public service where workplace incidents could be reported.

“If you allow the disrespect of women, you are tacitly allowing the other things to occur," the whistleblower said.

In a separate incident, a male former Coalition staffer spoke of emailing a senior Malcolm Turnbull government chief-of-staff “around 2015” about his concerns of how a female friend had been treated in the office of Hughes MP Craig Kelly on her first day on the job.

He alleged Mr Kelly’s office manager Frank Zumbo had made comments that had made the new staffer feel so uncomfortable that she did not come back.

“She was quite traumatised and didn’t go back,” the ex-staffer said.

He said he did not receive a reply to his email.

A police investigation is under way into claims by several young women of unwanted touching by Mr Zumbo. No charges have been laid.

Mr Zumbo has denied any wrongdoing.

The Coalition government has launched a “multi-party process” to examine “any cultural and structural issues” following former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ staffer Brittany Higgins declaring she had been assaulted in her then boss’s ministerial office in March 2019 by a more senior colleague.