Staffers of bully Queensland MPs given cash for silence

Electorate office staff who accuse Queensland MPs of bullying are being secretly paid off by the parliament if they agree not to disparage the institution or its clerk.

The Clerk of the Parliament Neil Laurie. Picture: Liam Kidston

Electorate office staff who accuse Queensland MPs of bullying are being secretly paid off by the parliament if they agree not to disparage the institution or its clerk.

The Weekend Australian has spoken to several former staffers who received the confidential “deeds of release” after making allegations of bullying against their MP bosses and were required to sign the agreements with veteran Clerk of Parliament Neil Laurie.

The deeds include a clause that requires the parties “not to engage in conduct intended to disparage or otherwise injure the reputation” of each other.

But despite political sources confirming the payments had been “going on forever, on both sides of politics”, Mr Laurie refused a formal request to reveal how much had been paid out in taxpayer-funded financial settlements in the past five years, and to how many electorate office staffers. “As a matter of policy, the Parliamentary Service does not comment on HR matters,” Mr Laurie said.

The process is further shrouded in secrecy because the parliament is exempt from Queens­land’s Right to Information laws, and the information is not disclosed in the institution’s annual report or financial statements.

One recipient of a deed of release said: “The parliament is powerless to act with these people (the alleged bully MPs); they’re powerless to protect their staff.”

It is understood that if MPs are accused of mistreating their electorate office staff, who are employed by the Queensland Parliamentary Service, they can be counselled, mentored and trained to improve.

Separately, Queensland Labor state secretary Kate Flanders has received an investigation report into allegations of workplace bullying against Ipswich West MP Jim Madden, but Ms Flanders declined to comment.

Labor state secretary Kate Flanders. Picture: Supplied

The ALP ordered an unprecedented investigation after receiving a formal complaint in March last year from a former ­female electorate office staffer of Mr Madden. The complaint to Labor was made after the woman’s WorkCover bullying claim was approved.

Mr Madden – who has not replied to repeated requests for comment – has been given an opportunity to respond to the investigation report. Depending on what the report has recommended, Ms Flanders has the power to decide nothing further should be done, or to require some form of minor disciplinary action be taken against Mr Madden.

But if a recommendation is made to expel him from the party, that can be done only by the party’s administration committee, which meets on the second Monday of every month.

The Weekend Australian is not suggesting Mr Madden has done anything wrong, just that allegations are being investigated.

ALP complaints manager Rachel Drew, a partner at the Labor law firm Holding Redlich, engaged barrister Kylie Hillard to conduct the probe.

MP Jim Madden at the 2023 QFES Australia Day awards. Picture: Peta McEachern

Two of Mr Madden’s former electorate office staffers have received financial settlements from the parliament.

A parliamentary insider said there would have been “dozens” of severance packages paid out by the parliament. “This has been going on forever, on both sides of politics,” they said. “Over the years there have been serial offenders; some MPs go through staff as often as they change underwear. Some of them are little dictators but they never get caught … they are untouchable.”

The insider, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the problem was more pronounced with electorate office staff who were employed by the parliament. “If you get an arsehole MP, the only thing you can do is leave,” they said.