Woman Tim Paine was sexting tells court Cricket Tasmania harassment “demoralised” her

The woman Tim Paine was caught sexting was demoralised by comments about rooting and threesomes in her time at Cricket Tasmania, a court has heard.

Woman at centre of Tim Paine sexting case outlines harassment by other cricket employees in court documents. Picture: Getty Images

A former Cricket Tasmania boss made sexually suggestive remarks to the woman at the centre of Tim Paine’s sexting scandal when he saw two bananas on her desk, court documents allege.

“Oh, you need two bananas, do you?” Cricket Tasmania’s then general manager of venue operations Stephen McMullen allegedly said.

Renee Ferguson claims in court documents filed in the Federal Court it was just one of many

“inappropriate sexual comments” said to her by Mr McMullen when she worked as a receptionist at Cricket Tasmania in 2017.

She also says he asked her “intrusive questions about her private life”, including if she had ever had a threesome.

And on one occasion, when Ms Ferguson, passed on a message from another colleague to him, he allegedly replied: “Tell her I’ve been out rooting.”

Renee Ferguson has launched a sexual harassment case against Cricket Tasmania.

Stephen McMullen has denied allegations he made sexually suggestive comments. Picture: Luke Bowden

Ms Ferguson did not report Mr McMullen’s behaviour to management because she said a similar complaint made earlier about other senior staff had been ignored by Cricket Tasmania.

She felt “extremely demoralised” by the ongoing sexual harassment she was subjected to at her workplace.

Mr McMullen is named alongside three other former Cricket Tasmania staff — including Paine, the Australian cricketing captain and his brother-in-law Shannon Tubb, a former Tasmanian Shield cricketer — in the sexual harassment claim filed with the court by Ms Ferguson in November.

The allegations against Mr McMullen, whose LinkedIn profile says he worked for Cricket Tasmania for 12 years before leaving in August last year, can only now be reported after his application for suppression order was dismissed on Wednesday.

His lawyer Ken Read said Mr McMullen denied the allegations and argued his reputation would be damaged if they were made public.

Tim Paine stepped down as Australian captain after his sexts with Ms Ferguson were revealed. Picture: Chris Kidd

In pressing to keep his client’s name out of the spotlight, Mr Read said Mr McMullen was “a bit-player” in Ms Ferguson’s claims.

“The allegations against others within the complaint are much more florid, and much more extensive,” Mr Read said.

Federal Court judge Mordy Bromberg dismissed the gag-order application, saying protection of a person’s reputation was not a ground for a suppression order.

He also found there was insufficient evidence to determine Mr McMullen’s safety required protection.

In a statement to the Herald Sun, Mr McMullen said the allegations against him were “completely untrue”.

“I will do everything I can to co-operate with the court so that the true situation can be shown,” he said.

It comes after Justice Bromberg earlier this month urged Cricket Tasmania and Ms Ferguson to attend mediation to attempt to settle the case.

Mediation has been set for March 17.

Paine last year resigned as captain of the Australian cricket team and made a public apology after texts between him and Ms Ferguson went viral.

He sent the messages, which included a photo of his penis, in 2017.