PETER VAN ONSELEN: New details emerge about what the most senior female staffer in Albo’s government claims happened in Richard Marles’s office – and why it is so devastating for Labor

The allegations of bullying and a toxic culture within acting Prime Minister Richard Marles’ office are about as embarrassing as it gets for the Labor government.

They are not created by a junior citizen in the office who feels that his self-proclaimed ambitions are not being properly realized.

The claims were made by the Chief of Staff – the most senior person working for Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister.

Jo Tarnawsky is a career diplomat plucked from professional public service to lead the second highest political office in government.

Not only is she believed to be the right-hand man to the Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister, she is also part of the Labor Party’s personnel 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 highest-ranking female political staffer in the administration.

Although she does not accuse the Deputy Prime Minister of bullying, she does claim that it is rampant under his nose, and certainly in his office.

She also says she warned him about what was happening, and at that point she was suddenly sidelined. Told her not to come to the office, but still paid her $300,000 salary.

It’s hard to escape the conclusion that the government was hoping this story would quietly stay out of the picture as it moves closer to a close election battle.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal those alleged to have done the bullying are younger party political staffers who have been part of Labour’s organizational wing.

The allegations include claims that the staffers acted in a manner that was exclusionary, demeaning and demeaning to the experts in the office, including the chief of staff.

One of the alleged perpetrators is said to be a junior staffer who listens to the boss while bypassing direct line manager Ms Tarnawsky.

Ms Tarnawsky’s claims have been disputed by Mr Marles’ office, with a spokesman saying: ‘A number of the claims and recollections are disputed. Ms. Tarnawsky has been treated with respect and courtesy.

“The well-being of staff, including Ms. Tarnawsky, has been paramount at all times.

“Out of respect for Ms. Tarnawsky and the prospect of legal proceedings, it is not appropriate to comment further.”

The embarrassment for the Labor Party is compounded by the fact that Anthony Albanese promised to fix the toxic culture of Parliament House, and that his government has made a virtue of introducing new labor laws to protect workers.

However, one of the government’s most senior employees has not felt protected.

Rather, in her own words, she feels “bullied out of a job that I loved, that was doing me good.” How well she performed is reinforced by the text messages Mr. Marles sent to Ms. Tarnawsky that were 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 somber when he made the accusations, but argued for a fair trial in parliament on Thursday (photo)

Although Labor is now trying to avoid talking about this crisis, hiding behind the fact that it has become a legal issue, it cannot avoid being compared to the way it sought political advantage while in opposition when similar scandals engulfed the Morrison government.

They amplified the controversies and demanded answers from Team Morrison at the time.

At the time, weaponizing accusations yet to be proven were Labour’s political stock in trade.

Now it suddenly wants due process to run its course before commenting on what allegedly happened.

Wherever the truth lies in this matter, the allegations are serious and the implications – if true – would cast a dark shadow over the culture of a Labor government already struggling to convince voters that they want to seek another term deserves to be in power.

If a highly regarded professional (and senior) member of the public service in Canberra doesn’t fit into the culture of Labor Party political office, that says a lot about how retrograde that partisan culture really is.

This is a far cry from the way Australia’s left-wing major party likes to present itself to the general public.