Activist Sally Rugg has landed a new $120,000-a-year media job with Amnesty International just days after settling her legal fight with teal independent MP Monique Ryan.
Ms Rugg was awarded almost $100,000 in an out-of-court settlement on April 28 after suing the Commonwealth for unreasonable work conditions while she was Dr Ryan’s chief of staff.
Now Ms Rugg – partner of ABC comedian Kate McCartney – has a second reason to celebrate with her new job as ‘media lead’ for the human rights group confirmed on Tuesday.
The mother of one is a former campaign director of pressure group GetUp! and executive director of Change.org.
‘Sally brings a wealth of experience in communications, strategic advocacy and movement-based social change to Amnesty International‘s human rights work,’ said Amnesty as they welcomed her to the new role.
Social activist Sally Rugg (pictured left with her partner, ABC comedian Kate McCartney) has landed a new $120,000-a-year media job with Amnesty International
Sally Rugg’s new job comes just days after settling her legal fight with teal independent MP Monique Ryan (pictured) for allegedly overworking her as chief of staff
The new job comes just weeks after Ms Rugg took to social media to canvass her friends for a new job in a private group chat, telling them she wanted to work for an established organisation rather than a new start up.
The advert for the Amnesty International job said they were looking for a ‘human rights defender’ who can ‘drive high-impact coverage through proactive communications’.
It promised a salary package of $111,000-$120,000 plus super, and ‘generous work/life initiatives including working from home arrangements and a flexible leave and working hours scheme’.
The new career move comes after the bitter wrangle over her parliamentary role where relations with Dr Ryan were said to have broken down irrevocably.
Ms Rugg had been hired in July after Dr Ryan’s election victory last May and initially revelled in her chief of staff position.
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In August, she posted on social media: ‘I love my new job so much OMG!’ Two weeks earlier she had posted with a blushing emoji: ‘Best first-week-of-a-new-job ever.’
But by January, Ms Rugg claimed she had been working 70 to 80 hours a week and had several rows with Dr Ryan before the Kooyong MP said she was firing her from the $166,000-a-year role.
Marriage equality crusader Sally Rugg (pictured) – partner of ABC TV comedian Kate McCartney – claims Dr Ryan breached general protections under the Fair Work Act
In August, Ms Rugg took to Twitter to celebrate her new job but it quickly turned sour
Sally Rugg’s new $120,000-a-year Amnesty International job was advertised online at EthicalJobs.com.au (pictured)
In an affidavit Ms Rugg claimed Dr Ryan tried to sack her four times in five weeks, and told her: ‘You are not working hard enough.
‘I need someone who works harder than you.’
Ms Rugg said she then decided to make a stand and refused to accept being terminated and launched legal action under the Fair Work Act to be reinstated.
She told the Federal Court in March she was so worried about Dr Ryan’s temper she feared taking personal time to purchase tampons would bring on the ire of her boss.
Justice Debbie Mortimer later ruled the working situation could not be repaired but told the parties to work together to resolve the situation and avoid a costly trial, leading to the out-of-court settlement reached last month.
