Video captured moment at centre of Kimberley Kitching bullying claims

A brief conversation captured on video is now at the centre of bullying claims raised after the death of Senator Kimberley Kitching.

A video clip of a moment in Parliament used by Liberal frontbencher Linda Reynolds to claim she had been warned of a Labor plan to “come after her” by the late Senator Kimberley Kitching has been unearthed.

Footage from February 2021 shows Ms Kitching on the floor of Parliament speaking to Ms Reynolds. The pair appear to have an animated conversation lasting at least five minutes before Ms Kitching returns to her seat for the start of Parliament.

Months later, in June 2021, Ms Reynolds told Labor Senate leader Penny Wong and Labor Senator Katy Gallagher that Senator Kitching tipped her off that Senator Wong was going to “come after her”, over allegations linked to her office.

The former Defence Minister later also used a leaked text message to support her claim of being tipped off by Senator Kitching.

The claim — that Senator Kitching denied and insisted was false — was then used by Labor to remove Senator Kitching from Labor’s tactics committee that determines question time strategy and is at the centre of bullying claims her friends have raised after her death.

Before her death, Senator Kitching insisted the claim that she tipped Ms Reynolds off in video was untrue and that she believed the discussion with Senator Reynolds seen in the recording was about the Brereton report into alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers.

Senator Kitching does not directly confirm the tip off in any subsequent text communications with Senator Reynolds.

“Simply put, it is not possible to divulge information to anyone about a matter of which I had no knowledge,” Senator Kitching wrote in June.

“Moreover, it is not possible to divulge a secret plan which did not actually exist. It has not been Senator Wong’s practice to ­divulge her secret plans, if she ever has any, to me.

“I am not in the habit of confiding with Senator Wong either. In any event, Senator Wong has rebutted any delusional claim that there was any secret plan.”

Kimberley Kitching and Penny Wong.

Moment captured on video

The moment was captured in the Senate chamber on February 2, 2021 at 11.55am. In the video, Senator Kitching approaches Senator Reynolds and conducts a brief conversation with her.

Subsequently, Senator Reynolds verbally told Labor Senate leader Penny Wong and Labor Senator Katy Gallagher in June, 2021, that Senator Kitching tipped her off that Senator Wong was going to “come after her”.

Defence Minister leaked encrypted text messages to Labor

Senator Reynolds also leaked text messages with Senator Kitching to support her claim there was a warning about Senator Wong on June 4, 2021.

But in a letter written before her death, Senator Kitching rejected the claim that centred on a text message from Senator Reynolds in May, 2021, over her anger about a line of questioning in Senate estimates.

“I didn’t and still don’t understand what on earth she was talking about,” Kitching wrote in her letter. “At the time I received the message, I assumed her distress was getting the better of her and thought it best to ignore it,’’ Senator Kitching said.

Senator Reynolds had sent Senator Kitching an encrypted message over the confidential communication app called Signal on May 25 2021 in which she claimed Senator Kitching had warned her about “what Penny was about to unleash”. Senator Reynolds then leaked the correspondence to Labor.

At a Senate estimates hearing on June 4, 2021, under heated questioning from Senator Wong and Senator Katy Gallagher, Senator Reynolds said: “I know where this started.”

Both Senator Wong and Senator Gallagher demanded to know what Senator Reynolds was saying and she replied: “I really don’t think we should be doing this here, but if you want me to do that …” to which Senator Wong replied “Yes”.

Senator Reynolds said on the Hansard: “I was told by one of your senators two weeks before about what you were intending to do with the story in my office. Two weeks before.”

The hearing was then suspended for a private meeting where the discussion continued in Social Services Minister Anne Ruston’s office.

The meeting was witnessed by Senator Ruston and was attended by Senator Wong and Senator Gallagher.

Senator Reynolds also told Liberal colleagues that the information Senator Kitching had provided to her in the “tip off” also involved information that Labor Senator Tim Ayres had obtained through a Senate inquiry.

Details of Senator Reynolds’ secret discussions with Senator Wong and Senator Gallagher have emerged in the wake of Senator Kitching’s death.

In her own text message, Senator Reynolds expressed anger that Senator Kitching was aggressively questioning her in Senate estimates given her previous warnings that Senator Wong was going to “come after her”.

The late Senator Kimberley Kitching. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Senator Kitching denies tip off in letter

Senator Kitching does not directly confirm the tip off in any subsequent communications with Senator Reynolds.

However, Senator Reynolds insists that she did reply suggesting that Senator Kitching told Senator Reynolds that she had been asked to ask the questions by Labor and that it was reasonable she did so and that she was happy to discuss the matter privately later.

It was on this basis that Senator Kitching was called to a meeting with Senator Kristina Keneally to accuse her of disloyalty and to remove her from the Labor tactics committee.

This private meeting was witnessed by the Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles.

Senator Kitching described the meeting as “an ambush” and asked before attending if she should “bring a lawyer” because she believed that it was a disciplinary meeting given that she was being asked to attend a meeting with the Deputy Labor leader and the Deputy Senate leader.

She was not offered the opportunity to bring a witness to the meeting or told what the allegation was before she attended.

In the meeting, she denied the claims that she had leaked sensitive tactics information to the Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds.

In a subsequent seven-page letter that she prepared rebutting the allegations, Senator Kitching outlined the reasons why the timeline didn’t add up for her being able to provide a warning to Senator Reynolds.

The June 2021 letter was addressed to Senator Keneally but never sent because Senator Kitching feared it would leak and be used against her in a looming preselection battle.

Instead, she took the letter to a second meeting with the Mr Marles to argue that the decision to kick her off the Senate tactics committee was unfair and based on the word of Senator Reynolds.

In the letter, she asked that Labor reflect on the difference between an “entirely normal contest of political rivals or rival ideas and what could reasonably be characterised as a campaign of bullying”.

“Standards in workplaces have changed and we should all think about the application of those standards to ensure a safe workplace for everyone here,” she wrote.

June meeting with deputy Labor leader Richard Marles

The meeting with Richard Marles occurred June 22, at 3.30pm in his office.

In the letter, she wrote that there was “obviously, generally, a fine line between the entirely normal contest of political rivals or rival ideas and what could be reasonably characterised as a campaign of bullying”.

“That’s something I think all senators should reflect on, within our caucus and beyond it.

“Standards in workplaces have changed and we should all think about the application of those standards to ensure a safe workplace for everyone here.”

Senator Kitching called for a “fair, transparent process” for dealing with such matters suggesting the process used to dump her from tactics was unfair.

“While Senator Reynolds’ claims are easily dispensed with, as I have demonstrated, that might not always be the case in these situations, so a fair, transparent process for dealing with these matters is probably welcome and prudent,” she wrote.

“Outlining how you think this might work going forward might be usefully discussed at a Senate caucus meeting.”

“Senator Wong, in particular, given her leadership role, is frequently targeted by Liberals with claims that she has said all manner of lurid things about colleagues, including me, for example.”

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese has denied that there is a culture problem within the Labor Party or that Senator Kitching was subject to any bullying.

“No I don’t. And I think that the people who’ve been targeted here, Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher, are people I’m very proud to have as part of my team.”

Penny Wong arrives at the funeral for Senator Kimberley Kitching. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty.

Labor denies bullying claims

Labor front bencher Penny Wong has denied bullying her late Senate colleague Kimberley Kitching but admitted she had used “insensitive” words in one exchange over climate change.

In a joint statement, Senator Wong, along with fellow Labor Senators Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher rejected the claims that the late Senator was bullied or ostracised.

“The allegations of bullying are untrue. Other assertions which have been made are similarly inaccurate,” the statement said.

Senator Wong confirmed in one discussion with Senator Kitching she was accused of saying her words to the effect of: “Well if you had children, you might understand why there is a climate emergency”.

She said these were “insensitive” words but she had not tried to personally attack her.

“My motivation was to express the distress that many children feel about climate change,” she said.

“But what I said was insensitive. I regret it. I apologised, as I should, when I became aware that she - how she felt about it.”