Former Liberal Craig Kelly’s staffer Frank Zumbo under investigation

The Department of Finance is investigating allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviour against former Liberal MP Craig Kelly’s long-term staffer.

Craig Kelly staffer Frank Zumbo. Picture: Dylan Robinson

The Department of Finance is investigating allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviour against former Liberal MP Craig Kelly’s long-term staffer.

Mr Kelly says Scott Morrison asked him to investigate alle­gations of inappropriate workplace conduct against his long-term staffer last week, as the government faces increasing political pressure over its handling of workplace incidents against ­female staff.

The Australian understands the Prime Minister’s Office requested on Friday that the Department of Finance investigate allegations against Frank Zumbo of inappropriate workplace ­behaviour.

Mr Kelly, who resigned from the Liberal Party and moved to the crossbench on Tuesday, has been under pressure over the continued employment of Mr Zumbo, who faces multiple allegations of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.

Last week, The Guardian reported that Mr Kelly’s office manager, Mr Zumbo, remained working in Mr Kelly’s electoral office despite the allegations made by a teenage female intern that Mr Zumbo kissed her on the neck.

It reported that in one case, an apprehended violence order had been granted in September 2020 by police in Sutherland, in Sydney’s southern suburbs.

Mr Zumbo has denied wrongdoing and no charges have been made against him.

He said on Tuesday the alle­gations published in The Guardian were “uncorroborated, false and defamatory”.

On Tuesday, Mr Morrison said he had long expressed concerns about Mr Zumbo to Mr Kelly, and expected him to “deal with that matter”.

The Australian understands Mr Zumbo had been on Mr Morrison’s radar for years because of feedback relating to his competency, with the workplace alle­gations against Mr Zumbo first reported last year only deepening Mr Morrison’s concern.

Mr Morrison’s electorate of Cook neighbours Mr Kelly’s seat of Hughes in the Sutherland shire.

During question time, Anthony Albanese pressed Mr Morrison about the allegations against Mr Zumbo.

Mr Morrison said he had “long held issues” regarding Mr Zumbo’s “performance” in Mr Kelly’s electorate office which were unrelated to the allegations of inappropriate workplace ­conduct.

“That is based on the fact that my electorate adjoins the member for Hughes, and they relate to performance measures that don’t relate to the more sensitive issues that have come up more ­recently.”

Mr Kelly said Mr Morrison told him to “investigate alle­gations that appeared in The Guardian” on Thursday night.

He said it was the first time Mr Morrison raised the allegations published by The Guardian with him.

He also said Mr Zumbo was entitled to the presumption of innocence and he had long been a target for “factional warlords”.

Mr Kelly said he found no basis to the allegations against Mr Zumbo, but had given a report to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.

“When I investigated them, I found they had little or no substance. In fact there were numerous factual errors,” he said.