Independence of parliamentary support service questioned amid Marles’ dispute with former chief of staff

Exclusive: Jo Tarnawsky's lawyer Michael Bradley claims adversarial' legal letter raises serious questions about role of PWSS

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The employment dispute between Richard Marles and his chief of staff, Jo Tarnawsky, is raising questions about the independence of the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, after it sent Tarnawsky a legal letter that included Marles' side.

When Tarnawsky's lawyer wrote to Marles on 24 June, the deputy prime minister and defence minister referred the letter to the PWSS, which engaged top-tier Sydney-based law firm Ashurst to provide legal advice.

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