The investigation — which was commissioned by NSW Labor and has been running since March — is being led by barrister John Joseph Whelan and is expected to be completed in coming days.

The scope of the Husar investigation has included allegations of bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, intimidation, and misuse of staff.



Husar told BuzzFeed News she was horrified to learn that complaints had been made about her and claimed that no staff member had raised issues with her.

“The assertions that have been made do not reflect who I am or how my office operates,” Husar said.

Husar did not respond specifically to any of the allegations put to her by BuzzFeed News.

BuzzFeed News has spoken to people who have been interviewed in the Whelan investigation. Some were approached by lawyers to give evidence, others came forward when they heard about the investigation.

Senior state and federal Labor figures have been aware of the allegations against the Western Sydney MP for over a year but did not launch an investigation until a former staff member put pressure on NSW's head office and threatened to go public.

BuzzFeed News understands Labor leader Bill Shorten was made aware of the allegations about Husar’s behavior last year. Shorten's office denies this.

Over 200,000 words of evidence have been given by at least 20 witnesses in the Whelan investigation so far.

BuzzFeed News understands nearly all witnesses have given evidence anonymously, out of fear of repercussions from the powerful Right faction of the party, which is led by NSW general secretary Kaila Murnain.

At least one former staff member has told investigators they are considering taking further action against Husar over her alleged conduct towards them.

A number of former Husar staff told BuzzFeed News they have cancelled their membership with the United Services Union (USU) after the union refused to represent them at the investigation. The secretary of the union, Graeme Kelly, is a powerful member of the NSW Right, closely aligned to Murnain, and sits on the state branch’s administrative committee.

The union did not respond to inquiries from BuzzFeed News.

Whelan’s investigation is only probing Husar’s behaviour in the workplace over the past two years, although evidence about her conduct outside the office has also been presented.

When the investigation is complete, Whelan will make a series of recommendations to NSW Labor. The party office will then decide what steps, if any, will be taken.

BuzzFeed News understands that Whelan’s report will find there is evidence supporting the allegations against Husar.

Reports of this nature traditionally aren’t made public, and Husar’s former staff fear it will be buried until the next federal election is called. With Super Saturday days away and upcoming state elections in NSW and Victoria, the timing of the report is political dynamite.

“The trouble with these reports is that no-one sees them, so the party can’t be held to account for the findings,” a NSW Labor source said.

It is no secret in Canberra that Husar’s office has seen high staff turnover. During her two years in federal parliament, she’s had more than 20 employees through her electorate office (in four full-time equivalent positions).