Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles revealed his female media director ‘meant so much more’ to him than ‘just an important staff member’, according to a workplace bullying claim engulfing federal parliament.
Mr Marles’s chief of staff Jo Tarnawsky alleges she was bullied, belittled and ignored by Mr Marles’s media chief Kate Hanns in an ongoing campaign of harassment.
Ms Tarnawsky has filed a Federal Court lawsuit against the federal government, Mr Marles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s chief of staff Tim Gartrell, claiming she was subjected to ‘adverse action’ under the Fair Work Act.
The former diplomat alleges Mr Marles removed her from her $270,000 job after she complained about Ms Hanns in late April last year.
Ms Tarnawsky’s statement of claim alleges Ms Hanns bullied and harassed her from May last year and froze her out of office culture.
She claims she was denied access to Mr Marles’ diary, removed from team emails and that ‘her dog pictures had been removed from the office’s shared pet wall’.
Ms Tarnawsky says she was treated in ‘an abrasive, hostile and exclusionary manner’ and from May last year was subjected to an ‘escalating course of conduct’ by Ms Hanns.
The matter went before the Federal Court for a case management hearing on February 18 after weeks of mediation failed to achieve a a settlement.
A phone call in which Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles allegedly said his media director Kate Hanns (above) ‘meant so much more’ to him than ‘just an important staff member’ features in a workplace claim engulfing federal parliament
Justice Yaseen Shariff heard Ms Tarnawsky has been left ‘in the dark’ and was becoming ‘significantly more unwell’ as the claim dragged on through the court.
Ms Tarnawsky’s statement of claim, released by the court, refers to Mr Marles making a phone call to her at 11.11am on April 30 using the encrypted Signal communication app.
During that call, Ms Tarnawsky says she told Mr Marles she had been trying to manage the alleged bullying and harassment on her own but was now seeking his help.
In response, Ms Tarnawsky claims the sometime acting prime minister told her that Ms Hanns ‘meant so much more to Marles than just an important staff member’.
Ms Tarnawsky also claims Mr Marles said he did not consider her alleged experiences of bullying and harassment to be ‘fixable’.
She further alleges Mr Marles told her ‘there had been issues with or related to Ms Tarnawsky for “over a year”, and he wanted to “finish” dealing with the issue immediately’.
‘Ms Tarnawsky was not to travel to Hawaii with Mr Marles on an official visit, for which she was scheduled to depart on the following day, being 1 May 2024,’ the statement of claim alleges.
‘Ms Tarnawsky was “not stood down”, but was directed to take an immediate break from work, and to find alternative employment; and Ms Tarnawsky could depart the role “with dignity” and after taking time to find a suitable job.’
Jo Tarnawsky (above) has filed a Federal Court lawsuit against Mr Marles and the prime minister’s chief of staff, claiming she was subjected to ‘adverse action’ under the Fair Work Act
During the same conversation Ms Tarnawsky says she told Mr Marles she would try to find work outside his office but if that was not possible she would return to her role.
In his defence, Mr Marles states Ms Tarnawsky’s version of that conversation is ‘vague and embarrassing’ and liable to be struck out of her claim.
‘[Mr Marles] expressed his concern about ongoing interpersonal issues between [Ms Tarnawsky] and other staff in his office,’ his defence states.
‘[Ms Tarnawsky] said she thought she could fix her relationship with the staff other than the relationship with Ms Hanns, which she considered was beyond repair.
‘[Mr Marles] told [Ms Tarnaswky] that he would not make a choice that resulted in Ms Hanns no longer remaining his media director given the value she had provided to his office.
‘He regarded her as the best media officer in Parliament House.’
Mr Marles further states he did not see Ms Hanns engage in an ‘escalating course of conduct’ which Ms Tarnawsky alleges amounted to bullying and harassment.
From about mid-2023 he had ‘sensed there were some tensions developing in his office’ between Ms Tarnawksy and members of his staff including Ms Hanns.
Ms Tarnawsky was appointed Mr Marles’s principal adviser in June 2022 after she says he told her: ‘Jo, you are like family. You know me. You know what I need to run an office. You know government.’
Ms Tarnawsky, a former diplomat, alleges Mr Marles removed her from her $270,000 job after she complained about Ms Hanns seven months ago. Mr Marles and Ms Hanns are circled
Ms Hanns has worked for Mr Marles since 2019 when the ALP was in opposition and before that was on the staff of Labor MP, now Social Services Minister, Amanda Rishworth.
Her first political job was as a media adviser to former Labor MP David Feeney in 2014. She previous worked for 21st Century Fox and Southern Cross Austereo.
Ms Hanns is not the only person Ms Tarnawsky accuses of bullying and harassment but was ‘primarily responsible’, according to her statement of claim.
The claim states Ms Tarnaswky received ‘regular praise for her high performance’ in her role and was given ‘no negative performance reviews or feedback’.
Ms Tarnawsky’s solicitor Michael Bradley, from Marque Lawyers, told Daily Mail Australia his client was ‘frozen out’ of her job after complaining to Mr Marles.
The chief of staff had travelled to the UAE, Turkey, Poland and Ukraine with her boss and other staff in late April.
During that trip, Ms Tarnawsky alleges she was subjected to ‘a continued course of conduct’ from Ms Hanns and other employees ‘which amounted to bullying and harassment’.
Ms Tarnawsky says in her statement of claim she sent a Signal message to Mr Marles while flying home to Australia on or around April 27 reporting a bullying incident.
She claims Mr Marles spoke to Mr Albanese’s chief of staff, Tim Gartrell, on April 29 and informed him that he no longer wanted her in his office.
Mr Marles and Mr Gartrell, who are not accused of bullying, say they had a conversation that evening but deny Ms Tarnawsky’s version of what was said.
Mr Brandley said from April 30, Ms Tarnawsky was denied access to her office, and her personal belongings were still in there.
Jo Tarnawsky, chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, alleges her boss’ media director Kate Hanns (above) ignored and belittled her in their workplace
She was still employed on ‘miscellaneous leave’ but had been ‘effectively removed’ and replaced by an acting chief of staff, Ms Bradley said.
Mr Bradley said Ms Tarnawsky was exercising a workplace right when she made the bullying complaint and Mr Marles allegedly forcing her out of her role was ‘adverse action,’ unlawful under the Fair Work Act.
Delivering a statement at Parliament House on November 25, Ms Tarnawsky told reporters she was not aware of any investigation having been made into the alleged bullying.
‘It has now been more than 200 days since I raised my concerns privately with the deputy prime minister about bullying behaviour in his office,’ she said.
‘I was then exiled as a result. My workplace situation remains unresolved. Not a single member of the government has reached out to check on my wellbeing.
‘After the window dressing of parliamentary workplace reforms has been put in place, the government is testing in real time what it can get away with.’
Ms Tarnawsky, who is seeking unspecified damages, claims she has suffered financial loss including medical bills, as well as enduring hurt, humiliation and reputational damage.
The allegations come after the government passed legislation establishing a new independent body to crackdown on bad behaviour in parliament.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC) began operations on October 1.
Mr Marles was forced to address the allegations during Question Time in November when Coalition MP Sussan Ley asked whether he felt he had complied with his ministerial obligations to maintain a safe and respectful workplace.
The House of Representatives fell silent as he struggled through his response, telling the chamber: ‘To state the obvious, in this moment, I feel very sad that events have got to where they have.’
‘It is obviously very difficult.
‘Let me say that in the way in which I have tried to manage this, I have done so with Jo’s welfare in mind at every moment, as I would try to manage things on that basis for all of my staff.’
Mr Marles said he admired Ms Tarnawsky’s commitment to social justice and described her as a ‘wonderful person.
He added: ‘As is evident, this matter is now in the hands of lawyers – of course that is absolutely Jo’s right but it does mean that it is difficult for me to say anything more on this.’
Ms Tarnawsky is the most senior female political staffer in the government. Her case returns to court on February 27.
