Qld election 2024: Labor MP Cynthia Lui denies workplace bullying

A Labor MP accused of bullying her staffers and treating them erratically and menacingly has dismissed the allegations as a by-product of a “very demanding” workplace.

Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman (rear) with MP Cynthia Lui in Cairns. Picture: Adam Head

A Far North Queensland Labor MP accused of bullying her staffers and treating them erratically and menacingly has dismissed the allegations as a by-product of a “very demanding” workplace.

Member for Cook Cynthia Lui is alleged to have cycled through at least eight staff in the past six years amid a toxic workplace culture, with at least one former employee signing a nondisclosure agreement.

Former staffer James Giugni has come forward to reveal he lodged a formal complaint and a public interest disclosure with the Clerk of Parliament over his treatment in Ms Lui’s office. Mr Giugni, a Labor Party member, also lodged a formal complaint with Queensland Labor state secretary Kate Flanders.

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Ms Lui has denied any wrongdoing.

Mr Giugni, who worked in Ms Lui’s office between August 2022 and July 2023, said Ms Lui would be “openly hostile” towards people in her office, to a point where he began experiencing anxiety.

It is also alleged she would fail to reply to emails only to intervene at the last minute, and left her office chronically understaffed, including by not employing casual staff when existing workers felt extra hands were needed.

In one incident in late May 2023, Mr Giugni took urgent time off to care for his daughter, who had a bad case of the flu. Ms Lui turned down an offer from Mr Giugni to do some work from home in a bid to ease growing workloads, according to text messages seen by The Courier-Mail.

Member for Cook Cynthia Lui. Picture: Adam Head

Ms Lui, in the text exchange, then complained the “day-to-day operations” in the office had been “very disruptive in recent weeks”.

“While I am doing my best to accommodate everyone’s personal circumstances, my office space and the support I need is unstable and inconsistent,” she said.

“I’ll give people time to think about whether this job is for you.”

Mr Giugni said he was speaking out in a bid to spark accountability for Ms Lui’s behaviour, even though he expected to be admonished by the Labor Party for coming forward.

“I am a big believer in action and consequence and accountability for behaviour,” he said.

“This shouldn’t be tolerated, that such a workplace (culture) is just kind of accepted.”

Ms Lui, campaigning alongside Premier Steven Miles on Thursday, said she had settled bullying allegations made against her by an electorate staffer and declared her workplace was a “space that is very demanding”.

She confirmed she had previously had discussions with the Clerk of Parliament about bullying but matters had been settled.

Ms Lui said staff had left “purely because they’ve moved on to other opportunities” and described her office as an “inclusive environment”.

“It’s an environment where, you know ... we work under pressure a lot of the time and looking after an electorate that is quite vast,” she said.

“There’s a lot of expectations on myself in the office.”

Asked whether she had ever overstepped the line, Ms Lui said, “Not that I’m aware of.”

Originally published as Qld election 2024: Labor MP Cynthia Lui denies workplace bullying