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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Sarah Basford Canales

Jail and a $10,000 fine: former political staffer shares fear over MP complaint system

iPSC Jenny Ralph Babet Kate Jenkins Parliament House Australia Guardian Australia the Privileges Committee
Woman silhouette cut out from Parliament House
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission was created as an impartial umpire to hold staff and parliamentarians accountable. But some experts say the IPSC’s lack of transparency is a ‘serious problem’. Composite: Guardian Design

Jenny* was warned she could face jail time if she spoke to anyone except a lawyer or a psychologist about a workplace complaint she made about her former boss.

The former political staffer is worried about publicly revealing details of her complaint against the federal parliamentarian, owing to heavy-handed gag orders that threatened to throw her in jail for six months and a possible $10,000 fine.

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