Deputy PM facing lawsuit from own staff member.

Richard Marles' top aide, Jo Tarnawsky, has filed a legal case against the deputy prime minister for alleged workplace bullying. In a statement this morning, Tarnawsky revealed that she is suing the Commonwealth, Marles, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's chief of staff, Tim Gartrell.

This development comes about six weeks after Tarnawsky publicly spoke out about being sidelined from her role after raising concerns about bullying within Marles' office. It was reported that Marles himself was not accused of bullying Tarnawsky, but rather of removing her from her position without addressing any issues with her performance.

Tarnwasky, who is still officially holding the role of chief of staff in Marles' office, explained that she decided to take legal action due to the long delays in addressing her case. She said, "It has been over 200 days since I raised my concerns privately with the deputy prime minister about the bullying behavior in his office. As a result, I was pushed out of my role. Despite my efforts, my workplace situation remains unresolved."

She added, "After facing unacceptable delays and inaction from the government, I am now lodging legal proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia. It has been six weeks since I spoke out publicly about what was happening to me behind closed doors, and as far as I know, there has been no investigation into the behaviors I reported. No one from the government has even reached out to check on my wellbeing."

Tarnwasky's lawyer, Michael Bradley, stated that she will be seeking financial penalties and compensation, although he did not disclose a specific amount. He also did not go into detail about the specific allegations of bullying, as they will be presented in court.

A spokesperson for the government stated that they would not be commenting further on the matter due to it being subject to legal proceedings. This comes after Tarnawsky's allegations were made public in October, to which Marles responded by calling her a "wonderful person." The spokesperson also mentioned that the well-being of all staff, including Tarnawsky, has always been a priority and that the government is committed to improving workplace culture at Parliament House.

Despite Tarnawsky's letter to the prime minister asking for his intervention and accountability for her treatment, she has not received a response. It is clear that she has reached her limit and is taking matters into her own hands to seek justice for the way she has been treated. The specific details of her allegations will be aired in court, and we can only hope that this will bring about positive change in addressing bullying and improving workplace behavior in Parliament House.

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