‘Bullying’ allegations trigger independents’ demand for better behaviour in parliament

A group of independent MPs has demanded higher standards of behaviour in Parliament House, after a political staffer alleged she had been bullied by other staff and removed from her job with Deputy PM Richard Marles.

Richard Marles' chief of staff, Jo Tarnawsky, holds a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

A group of independent MPs has demanded parliamentarians adopt higher standards of behaviour in Parliament House, after a political staffer alleged she had been bullied by other staff members and effectively ousted from her role by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.

A letter to the leaders of the four major parties, signed by nine independents, including teal MPs Allegra Spender, Kate Chaney and Sophie Scamps, has called on members of the House of Representatives to improve their behaviour in the chamber.

The push for higher standards of conduct comes after Mr Marles’s chief of staff, Jo Tarnawsky, went public on Thursday with claims she had been barred from performing the role she still technically held after she complained to the minister about “bullying” and “misconduct” from other staff.

Ms Tarnawsky has not launched legal action and has not publicly called for compensation, instead demanding “accountability” from Mr Marles, in a move that has reignited debate about workplace safety in Parliament House.

Ms Tarnawsky’s lawyer, Marque Lawyers managing partner ­Michael Bradley, said on Friday it now fell to the government to resolve his client’s “untenable” situation.

Mr Bradley also revealed interactions with a support service for parliamentary staff had become “more adversarial” than anticipated after the organisation hired lawyers.

The letter from independent MPs, including teals Zoe Daniel, Monique Ryan and Kylea Tink, cited Anthony Albanese’s remark that an opposition MP had Tourette syndrome and divisive rhetoric used in discussing the Middle East conflict. It also said the need for higher standards had been highlighted by the allegations against Mr Marles.

The letter, also signed by independent MPs Zali Steggall, Andrew Wilkie and Helen Haines, called on political leaders to “embed the new Code of Conduct for parliamentarians into the House of Representatives Standing Orders, and to take real steps to improve behaviour in the chamber”.

Peter Dutton said bullying was “not acceptable” and seized on revelations the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Tim Gartrell, had been involved in removing Ms Tarnawsky from Mr Marles’s office.

“So, you would have thought the priority for the Prime Minister’s office would be to find resolution and to find a satisfactory outcome by way of mediation or support for the individual involved,” he said.

“Had the shoe been on the other foot, of course, the Labor Party would be completely outraged and calling for sackings of ministers, etc – as they did in the Morrison government – but I think Mr Albanese’s office has obviously had a real role to play here and they need to answer why it’s dragged on and on and on, and they’ve just been incapable of resolving it.”

Education Minister Jason Clare said the culture in Parliament House had changed in recent years but “there’s more work to do”.

“Two years ago, there wasn’t a service in Parliament House for people to go to, for staff to go to, to make a complaint when something terrible happens in an office,” he said.

“There is now, and I can tell you that is providing a very important service in the building. There also wasn’t a commission, an independent Standards Commission, to set standards for politicians and to fine politicians, punish politicians when they do the wrong thing.”