The allegations of bullying and a toxic culture inside the office of the acting Prime Minister Richard Marles are about as embarrassing as it gets for the Labor government.
They aren’t being made by some junior burger in the office who feels their self-entitled ambitions aren’t being properly realised.
The claims have been made by the chief of staff – the most senior person working for Australia’s deputy prime minister.
Jo Tarnawsky is a career diplomat plucked out of the professional public service to run the second most senior political office in the government.
Not only is she supposed to be the right hand of the Deputy PM and Defence Minister, she is also part of the Labor Party’s staffing leadership team. 2IC to Tim Gartrell, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.
Ms Tarnawsky may not be a household name, but she is the most senior female political staffer in the government.
While she isn’t accusing the Deputy PM of bullying, she does claim that it has been rampant right under his nose, in his office no less.
She also says that she warned him about what was happening, and that’s when she was suddenly sidelined. Told not to come into the office, but still paid her $300,000 salary.
It’s hard to escape the conclusion that the government hoped this saga would quietly remain out of view as it ebbs closer to a tight election showdown.
Jo Tarnawsky – seen above on a diplomatic posting with former prime minister Julia Gillard – is the most senior female political staffer in the government. Her allegations about a toxic culture in Marles’ office is about as embarrassing as it gets for Labor
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that those alleged to have done the bullying are younger party political staffers who have been part of Labor’s organisational wing.
The allegations include claims that the staffers acted in a way that was exclusionary, demeaning and degrading to subject matter experts in the office, including the chief of staff.
One of the alleged perpetrators is claimed to be a younger staffer who has the ear of the boss, bypassing direct line manager Ms Tarnawsky in the process.
Ms Tarnawsky’s claims have been disputed by Mr Marles’ office, with a spokesperson saying: ‘A number of the assertions and recollections are contested. Ms Tarnawsky has been treated with respect and courtesy.
‘At all times, the wellbeing of staff, including Ms Tarnawsky, has been front of mind.
‘Out of respect for Ms Tarnawsky, and the prospect of legal proceedings, it is not appropriate to make further comment.’
The embarrassment for the Labor Party is accentuated by the fact Anthony Albanese promised to fix the toxic culture of Parliament House, and his government has made a virtue of introducing new labour laws to protect employees.
However, one of the most senior staffers in the government hasn’t felt protected.
Rather, in her own words, she feels ‘bullied out of a job I loved, that I was doing well’. Just how well she has performed has been reinforced by text messages Mr Marles sent Ms Tarnawsky, released to the media.
Ms Tarnawsky gave a media conference at Parliament House in Canberra this week. She said she felt ‘bullied out of a job I loved, that I was doing well’
Marles was sombre as he addressed the allegations but pleaded for due process in Parliament on Thursday (pictured)
While Labor is now trying to avoid talking about this crisis, hiding behind the fact it has become a legal matter, it can’t escape the comparison to how it sought political advantage while in opposition any time similar scandals engulfed the Morrison government.
They amplified the controversies and demanding answers from Team Morrison at the time.
Back then, weaponising allegations yet to be proven was Labor’s political stock in trade.
Now, suddenly, it wants due process to run its course before commenting on what has been alleged to have transpired.
Wherever the truth lies in this matter, the claims are serious and the implications – if they are true – would cast a dark shadow over the culture of a Labor government that is already struggling to convince voters it deserves another term in power.
If a well regarded professional (and senior) member of the Canberra public service can’t fit into the culture of a Labor Party political office, that says a lot about how retrograde that partisan culture really is.
A far cry from the way Australia’s left-of-centre major party likes to portray itself to the wider public.