NSW Labor leader Chris Minns defends fellow MP Tania Mihailuk after bullying allegations

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns defends fellow MP Tania Mihailuk in the wake of serious bullying allegations but admits: ‘She’s very tough. She calls a spade a spade.’

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns “doesn’t regard” his colleague and fellow MP Tania Mihailuk as a bully after fresh reports emerged that she was facing bullying allegations.

The Australian on Tuesday revealed Ms Mihailuk was facing serious allegations of bullying her staff over her 11-year career in Macquarie St after multiple staff allegedly made submissions to the Elizabeth Broderick review about her conduct.

But the state opposition leader jumped to her defence on breakfast radio this morning, rejecting the idea the Bankstown MP was a bully although admitting she was “very tough”.

“I’ve dealt with her over a long period of time. She’s very tough,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

“She’s a former female mayor of Bankstown … in her 20s. You don’t get to that position unless you are tough.

Member for Bankstown Labor MP Tania Mihailuk is facing bullying allegations. Picture: AAP Image / Joel Carrett

“She’s not afraid to push unpopular views. She calls a spade, a spade.

“Other than those circumstances, and I regard that as pretty standard nature inside any political party, I don’t regard her as a bully.”

Ms Mihailuk was described by NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns as being “very tough”. Picture: Tim Hunter.

While supporting her character, Mr Minns said due process would be undertaken to ensure all allegations against Ms Mihailuk would be dealt with appropriately.

He said it was important to allow her the opportunity to respond, and that it would be unfair to stand her down on the basis of an anonymous allegation.

“All of these allegations in the newspapers are anonymous at the moment,” Mr Minns said.

“It’s really impossible for me to make a judgment about a set of circumstances where I wasn’t present from a person whom I don’t know the identity of.

Mr Minns rejected the idea that Ms Mihailuk was a bully. Picture: AAP / Dean Lewins

“We can’t have situation … to stand people down on the basis of anonymous allegations.”

Ms Mihailuk is the second NSW Labor MP to face allegations of bullying after senior Labor frontbencher Walt Secord faced similar accusations and stood down last Monday before deciding to quit politics altogether.

The Australian claimed to have spoken to several former staffers of Ms Mihailuk, who said that at least 50 colleagues had been through her office in five years and alleged they had endured, witnessed or heard of bullying.

The Member for Bankstown declined to provide the newspaper with the number of staff who had left her office and said the accusations were “simply wrong”.

“There has been a redistribution and when the music stops, there will be two seats and three MPs, so this is a contentious preselection; I expect a smear campaign; in this context, the assertions that have been put to me are simply wrong,” she said.