Richard Marles has praised his chief of staff as a “wonderful person” but disputed her version of how she has been treated after she alleged he had effectively sacked her without warning when she raised a concern about colleagues’ behaviour.
Jo Tarnawsky remains employed as Marles’ chief of staff but told Guardian Australia she had not had contact with her boss in five months, since he told her in a phone call that she should find other employment.
Marles told parliament on Thursday that he had upheld workplace standards in his dealings with Tarnawsky, after she launched a public broadside at her boss and alleged she had felt undermined and excluded by some in the office.
She said she had been moved into a specially created temporary job and told to give 24 hours’ notice before entering her office. That job expired on 30 September and she said she is unsure what happens next.
In parliament, Marles spoke highly of her.
“Jo Tarnawsky first started working with me as my chief of staff when I was the parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs back in 2012,” Marles said, in response to an opposition question about whether he had upheld the workplace standards for which the Labor government strongly advocates.
“Jo is a person that I have known, therefore, for a long time and she is a wonderful person. In her role then and in her role now she has given me great service and I remain deeply grateful for that.”
Marles, who is acting prime minister while Anthony Albanese is overseas, called Tarnawsky a person who is “completely committed to social justice in this country”.
“And I very much admire her for that,” he said. “And given all of that, I mean it’s to state the obvious that in this moment, I feel very sad that events have got to where they have. This is obviously very difficult.”
Marles said he had managed Tarnawsky’s employment situation “with Jo’s welfare in mind at every moment”.
Earlier, Tarnawsky made a statement to media, saying she had not had contact with her boss in five months and that the events in that period had been “devastating”.
“Cut from my job and ostracised without warning, people have been unaware of my real situation,” Tarnawsky alleged.
“I have been plagued with nightmares, flashbacks, symptoms of depression and anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. I had none of these symptoms before May 2024. The way that I have been treated has been cowardly, cruel and completely unnecessary.”
She said she was speaking out because of something her daughter had said to her.
“When I was in a completely broken state a few weeks ago, she said, ‘Mum, maybe if you told people the truth, maybe someone would help you’,” she said.
She alleged that she had felt bullied in the office but she did not level that accusation at Marles himself.
“I am being bullied out of a job I loved that I was doing well,” she said. “It was a job that I dreamed of having since I first visited Parliament House as a child.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the Asean forum in Vientiane, Albanese said he had been briefed on the situation but did not intend to add further comment.
In parliament, Marles was asked when he had informed the prime minister about Tarnawsky’s allegations. He responded in general terms about the employment situation.
“It is evident now and on the record that I have been working with the prime minister’s office for months on this matter and the prime minister has been made aware of this,” Marles said.
A spokesperson for Marles told Guardian Australia on Wednesday night that recollections differ about the treatment of his chief of staff.
“A number of the assertions and recollections are contested,” the spokesperson said. “Ms Tarnawsky remains a member of staff. 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.”
Her lawyer, managing partner of Marque Lawyers Michael Bradley, took questions on her behalf.
Bradley said Tarnawsky was not alleging that Marles was involved in bullying her but that she is levelling that accusation more broadly at her treatment within the office. Asked if she had lodged a formal complaint, he said that the parliamentary Workplace Support Service had been involved in her case.
Bradley was also asked if Tarnawsky had been accused of bullying other staff or had prevented them from seeing the minister.
“No such concerns have been raised with her at any point,” he said.
Bradley said she accepted that trust with her employer is now broken and she cannot continue in the position.
“She’s like every worker in the country, entitled to fair treatment, procedural fairness, and the rights as an employee,” he said.
Tarnawsky remains employed as Marles’ chief of staff but another staff member is acting in the role.
Concluding her own statement without taking questions, she urged Albanese and the government to ensure workplace standards were upheld.
“Parliament House needs to be a better workplace than it is, and there are enough good people around to make a difference,” Tarnawsky said. “But it requires an ongoing effort and for each person here to make a choice, to call out bad behavior when you see it, stand by those who have been wronged and choose kindness and integrity every single time.”
