Second NSW Labor MP accused of bullying

Tania Mihailuk is facing allegations of bullying over her 11-year career, with multiple staff making submissions to a review about her conduct.

One former Labor staffer said at least 50 colleagues had been through Tania Mihailuk’s office in just five years. Picture: Tim Hunter

NSW Labor MP Tania Mihailuk is facing serious allegations of bullying staff over her 11-year ­career in Macquarie Street, with multiple staff making submissions to the Elizabeth Broderick review about her conduct.

The treatment of employees has seen an extraordinary number of staff leave Ms Mihailuk’s Bankstown electorate office, with the turnover well known among MPs and staffers.

One former Labor staffer said at least 50 colleagues had been through her office in five years. “I remember sitting and counting off names. There were close to 50 names, if not over, then. That was back in the day when they only got two staff plus an additional staffing budget,” they said.

That account was corroborated by many staff who had worked in Ms Mihailuk’s electorate office since 2013, with one saying she had lost “32 staff in two years”, labelling the churn “extraordinary” and “well beyond” other Labor MPs.

The Australian has spoken to 10 of Ms Mihailuk’s former staffers, as well as current and former Labor MPs. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of retribution by Ms Mihailuk, and alleged they had endured, witnessed or heard of bullying.

In response to questions, Ms Mihailuk declined to provide details about the number of staff who had left her office. “There has been a redistribution and when the music stops, there will be two seats and three MPs, so this is a contentious preselection; I expect a smear campaign; in this context, the assertions that have been put to me are simply wrong,” she said.

The allegations come with Labor leader Chris Minns already reeling from accusations of bullying levelled against Walt Secord, his former opposition police spokesman and Right faction ally.

On Friday, Mr Secord announced he would leave parliament at the March election.

Weeks after the Broderick review into bullying, harassment and sexual assault in NSW parliamentary workplaces, one source said they had undergone an interview about their experience in Ms Mihailuk’s office in December last year at which the interviewer told them: “You’re not the only person to speak to us about a bad experience with that MP.”

Another former staffer said he had emailed a complaint to parliamentary human resources about his treatment but claimed the brunt of the issue was ignored, simply being asked when he was planning on resigning.

One former staffer described Ms Mihailuk’s behaviour as “quite abusive” and “intimidating”, alleging she uniformly bullied staff members in her office.

“There were a number of occasions she told me to f..k off and called me a c..t during a visit to a primary school,” the staffer said.

Another staffer claimed he had not experienced workplace behaviour like Ms Mihailuk’s anywhere in the private or public sector, saying she would often berate employees, including making disparaging comments either in front of them or in private. “Tania would call them incompetent, useless or stupid,” he said.

A staffer alleged Ms Mihailuk had brought one staff member to tears multiple times. “She was a classic bully. She targeted people in the office who were less able to take it,” he said.

One staffer recalled treatment of another colleague in the electorate office, alleging Ms Mihailuk “often belittled his intelligence and basic competence” and “brought him to tears a couple of times”.