Deputy Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Faces Bullying Allegations in Court
Joanne Tarnawsky, chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, claims bullying and harassment in a court case while dealing with her employment uncertainty.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles' chief of staff, Joanne Tarnawsky, has been left "in the dark" and is becoming "significantly more unwell" as her bullying lawsuit continues in court, her lawyer has claimed.
Ms Tarnawsky alleges she was forced out of her $270,000-a-year role after complaining that she was belittled, undermined, and denied access to key information.
She claims to have faced bullying and harassment from staffers, including Mr Marles' media director, Kate Hanns, beginning in May 2023, with the behaviour intensifying following her complaints.
Ms Tarnawsky is seeking damages from the government, her former boss, and Anthony Albanese's chief-of-staff, Tim Gartrell, over the alleged bullying. Neither Mr Marles nor Mr Gartrell have been accused of participating in the alleged bullying.
Represented by barrister Rebecca Davern, Ms Tarnawsky appeared in the Federal Court on Tuesday, where her counsel urged the court to expedite the matter ahead of the impending federal election, which could impact her employment status.
The court was informed that although Ms Tarnawsky remains employed by the federal government, she has been on paid leave since the previous year. This leave is set to expire on February 28, but Ms Davern indicated that Ms Tarnawsky is "in the dark" about what will happen afterward.
"Our concern is to push these matters as expeditiously as possible," Ms Davern stated. "(Ms Tarnawsky) is becoming significantly more unwell as this matter drags on."
Barrister Kate Eastman, representing the Commonwealth, Mr Gartrell, and Mr Marles, expressed confidence that the parties could reach an agreement on some issues before Ms Tarnawsky's leave ends. "The Commonwealth's position has always been to adopt a trauma-informed approach, and we will continue to do so," she affirmed.
Justice Yaseen Shariff acknowledged that while it "isn't lost on me that (Ms Tarnawsky) isn't in the workplace", he noted that the legal proceedings would not be ready to move ahead before the election is slated for May. He directed the relevant parties to further discussions before returning to court on February 27.
