Bombshell texts lay bare breakdown in office

Leaked texts have laid bare the breakdown in Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles relationship with his chief of staff.

Jo Tarnawsky (R) the chief of staff to deputy prime minister Richard Marles.

Leaked texts have laid bare the breakdown in Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles relationship with his chief of staff who is alleging that a troubling culture of bullying in the office forced her to resign.

Former chief of staff Jo Tarnawsky alleges she was driven from the job after she was “bullied” in Mr Marles’ office and asked that “those who have enabled his behaviour” to be “held accountable”.

Ms Tarnawsky does not allege she was bullied by Mr Marles but does take issue with how he handled her complaints.

During an emotional press conference, she said she was “the most senior female chief of staff” in the Albanese Government and said that her “workplace is not safe”.

Mr Marles contests the allegations and says she was treated with respect.

She called on the Prime Minister to “ensure the safety of women in this building”.

“I know it won’t be long now before I am bullied out of this place completely,” she said.

“I have been plagued with nightmares, flashbacks, symptoms of depression and anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.”

Leaked text messages chart the breakdown in the relationship after a challenging visit to Ukraine where the program collapsed and Ms Tarnawsky, a former diplomat, had to organise a new set of meetings with senior leaders at short notice.

During the flight home from an official trip to Ukraine in late April, she says she raised concerns privately with the Deputy Prime Minister about some bullying behaviour within the office.

“It is the single-biggest thing I have pulled off in my career,” she texted Mr Marles. “Given the same circumstances and the same ridiculous time pressures, I’d do it again.”

Texts between Jo Tarnawsky (R) the chief of staff to deputy prime minister Richard Marles. and her boss.

She said Mr Marles had discovered she had been recommended for another senior job but she considered her current position “an honour” and wanted to stay where she was.

“I just need to work out if I’m still valued in this role, and if you want me to stay.”

In response, Mr Marles was initially supportive but she said that soon changed.

“Jo, I know what you did to pull off the Ukraine visit, and as I’ve said to you, it was amazing,’” he wrote.

“‘You should feel proud. I believe I’ve praised you in front of others, but I’ll make sure to do that again. I have not heard the negative talking. People are careful around me, but I don’t doubt what you say. I know things are not going well. I value you and value the job you have done for me. More than that, I am deeply grateful.’”

In a statement, she said the relationship soon took a nose dive after she raised the concerns.

“During the flight home from an official trip to Ukraine in late April, I raised concerns privately with the Deputy Prime Minister about some bullying behaviour within the office. He acknowledged the concerns, restated the value he placed in me and my work and said we should have a chat about it,’’ she said.

Ms Tarnawsky alleges she was pressed to sign a non-ongoing three-month contract.

“However, when we returned to Australia, he called me and in direct response to the concerns I had raised, he made it clear that I should start looking for alternative employment.

“Any of my attempts to resolve the issue or to discuss it in person were refused. He demanded that I take several weeks of leave immediately. I was shocked, but he assured me that I had not been stood down and that I would be treated with total dignity.

“He said, ‘trust me, I know how to handle this’.

“But when I tried to return to work in June, it was left to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff to inform me that I could never return to my role or to the Deputy Prime Minister’s office.

“No fair process has been followed. I continue to be employed officially as the Deputy Prime Minister’s chief of staff, but I have been prevented from doing my job. I am unable to access my office unless I provide 24 hours’ notice and I have been warned by a senior staffing representative that I am not safe and to stay away from the DPMO. I have not seen or heard from the Deputy Prime Minister for months.”

A spokesperson for Mr Marles has disputed Ms Tarnawsky’s account.

“A number of the assertions and recollections are contested. Ms. Tarnawsky has been treated with respect and courtesy,’’ the spokesperson said.

“At all times, the wellbeing of staff, including Ms. Tarnawsky has been front of mind. Out of respect for Ms. Tarnawsky, and the prospect of legal proceedings, it is not appropriate to make further comment.

Ms Tarnawsky with Julie Bishop

“The Albanese Government is committed to improving workplace behaviour and culture at Parliament House.”

Mr Marles is currently acting Prime Minister while Anthony Albanese is overseas in Laos, adding to the embarrassment over the allegations surfacing while Parliament is sitting.

In a press conference on Thursday morning, Ms Tarnawsky said she had made reports of bullying and other inappropriate behaviour but ultimately felt she was then driven out of parliament.

“So what happened was Jo raised a legitimate concern about issues within the office of the deputy prime minister, including bullying behaviour, and the response to that was to effectively drive her out of her job,” lawyer Michael Bradley said.

“Jo accepts that it’s a relationship of trust and confidence, and if that trust and confidence isn’t there, then of course, it can’t continue.

“She’s like every worker in the country, entitled to fair treatment, procedural fairness and her rights as as an employee had not been respected.”

Ms Tarnawsky called on the Prime Minister to take action on her allegations.

“The Prime Minister has committed the government to parliamentary workplace reforms, to ensuring the safety of women in this building and to higher standards in the ministerial code of conduct,” Ms Tarnawsky said.

“I asked the Prime Minister, I asked the Prime Minister to hold these commitments in full. No political party is immune from poor, poor workplace behaviour, but the real test is how they handle it when it happens.”

Deputy PM and Minister of Defence Richard Marles. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“The events of the last five months have been devastating. Cut off from my job and ostracised without warning, people have been unaware of my real situation.

“I have been plagued with nightmares, flashbacks, symptoms of depression and anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. I had none of these symptoms before May 2024.

“The way I have been treated has been cowardly, cruel and completely unnecessary.

Despite what has happened to me, I have behaved professionally, all while trying to find suitable alternative employment. The Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff entrusted me in the interim to undertake some temporary project work to support and mentor other Chiefs of Staff. This shows I pose no security risk and there are no genuine concerns about my performance or behaviour.

“My family knows that what I am doing today is not easy,” she said.

She also claimed that “powerful people” dismissed her story without “any concern for the truth or my wellbeing”.

“So, it is time. I cannot cover this situation any longer with colleagues, prospective employers, as well as family and friends. I am exhausted,” she said.

“What I want is for people to know the truth and for Richard Marles, as well as those who have enabled his behaviour, to be held accountable for what has happened.

I am being bullied out of a job I loved, that I was doing well.

“It was a job that I dreamed of having since I first visited Parliament House as a child. Now, I am the most senior female Chief of Staff on the Hill and my workplace is not safe.”

Originally published as Bombshell texts lay bare breakdown in office