Former education minister Alan Tudge told an investigation into his affair with his media advisor they were “intimate” four times but never had sex and he didn’t consider it to be a relationship.
The long-awaited 25-page report by Dr Vivienne Thom that examined former staffer Rachelle Miller’s shocking allegations of being bullied, emotionally abused and even once kicked by Mr Tudge was finally made public on Friday afternoon.
Noting Ms Miller had chosen not to participate in the inquiry limiting the information available, it found there was “insufficient evidence” to support those allegations.
It also said that Mr Tudge did not breach ministerial standards as the affair in 2017 predated Malcolm Turnbull’s ban on ministers having sexual relations with staff members.
Welcoming the findings, Mr Tudge announced he did not wish to return to federal cabinet and would instead focus on his local election campaign and his family.
The now-public report reveals that Mr Tudge told the inquiry he believed Ms Miller was “in love” with him and wanted a long-term relationship in which both of them left their spouses – but this was not reciprocated.
“I have referred to these interactions in my public statements as an ‘affair’ because I wanted to take responsibility for my actions and not split hairs as to what did or did not occur,” he wrote to the investigation.
“What I did was morally wrong given we were both married at the time. I have never shied away from this.
“However, I did not consider this to be a “relationship” in the usual sense of the word.
“There were almost none of the typical characteristics of what would ordinarily be considered a relationship.”
He then went on to list the reasons why he believed this.
This included the statement: “We never had sex”.
”We never talked about a future together, whether in the short, medium or long term,” he also wrote.
Mr Tudge said they had never organised a lunch, dinner, walk or any other casual activity – except on one occasion.
“The only time we had a meal or drinks together was at the end of a work trip (or work day in Canberra) and nearly always with other staff,” he added.
He also told the inquiry that they never arranged to be “intimate” and each time they did he thought it would be the last time.
“None of the four times that we were intimate together were organised or prearranged or discussed in advance,” he wrote.
“After each occasion that we were intimate, I assumed it was the last time.”
He said on the last occasion they did engage in an intimate act, Ms Miller had buzzed his Canberra apartment asking to be let in.
He said he refused for five to 10 minutes before changing his mind.
“She came to my apartment in Canberra (where I live alone) in the evening, and pressed the buzzer at the complex entrance, asking to come up,” he wrote.
“I said ‘no’ through the apartment intercom for some five or ten minutes, before I finally agreed to her demand.
“This was something that, years later, she complained about — ‘having to beg for 10 minutes to come up’ — but it was indicative of me not expecting or wanting to see her outside of a work context.”
Last year Ms Miller went public with accusations she suffered bullying, intimidation and harassment from Mr Tudge at work which xjmtzywdestroyed her confidence in her own ability and made her believe she would not get a job elsewhere.
She also alleged her relationship with Mr Tudge was emotionally abusive and she was completely under his control because she was isolated from her family and friends because he made her fearful of others.
It was also alleged that during a work trip to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia she agreed to late night drinks with Mr Tudge.
She said she was woken at 4am in bed naked after getting a media call.
She alleged that Mr Tudge, who was beside her, kicked her and told her to “get the f**k out” of his bed.
Mr Tudge told the inquiry: “I have never kicked or hit anyone in my life, and of course never a woman”.
“I have never been in a fight. I am not an aggressive person.”
He said they did not have sex that night but they did sleep in his hotel room.
He also denied that she was “under his control” but recalled many discussions spanning three years from 2018 in which they spoke about keeping their affair silent.
The inquiry also examined the fact that Mr Tudge supported a request for Ms Miller to be promoted from media advisor to senior media advisor after the affair had started.
The staff member who wrote a letter to the Prime Minister requesting the upgrade told the inquiry they were not aware of the pair’s relationship at the time.
“He said that if he had known he would have changed his approach,” the report said.
“He said he would have been ‘deeply uncomfortable with the whole situation’ but he could not say how he could have resolved the issue.”
The inquiry found that Ms Miller’s promotion was a reasonable one fairly based on her competence and the workload.
It found that Mr Tudge didn’t breach ministerial standards in this instance, although it might be “questionable” whether his conduct was consistent with public expectations.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he supported Mr Tudge’s decision not to return to the frontbench.
“He has informed me that in the interests of his family and his own wellbeing and in order to focus on his re-election as the member for Aston he is not seeking to return to the frontbench, and I support his decision,” Mr Morrison said.
Stuart Robert will continue in his role as acting education minister.
Ms Miller chose not to participate in the inquiry because she held concerns about its terms of reference.
