NSW fends off criticism about flood aid

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Labor’s Tanya Plibersek takes umbrage with the death of her colleague, Kimberley Kitching, being treated “like it’s a political issue to be managed”.

The opposition’s spokeswomen for education and women insists she never witnessed Kitching being bullied by ALP colleagues.

Labor’s Tanya Plibersek says the death of her colleague Kimberley Kitching is being treated “like it’s a political issue”.

Even so, Plibersek says people are focused on everyday living pressures and “aren’t asking about whether there’s bullying in the Labor Party”.

“I just don’t want to keep raking over this terrible loss and treating it like it’s a political issue to be managed,” the MP told Sky News.

“I can’t answer to the details of this (bully accusation), nor do I want to be talking about it at the moment.”

Labor Senator Malardirri McCarthy said the bullying claims were “deeply disturbing”.

“It is deeply disturbing these reports. But what is more disturbing is that we have lost someone,” she told the Nine Network’s Today program.

The NT senator also said she “didn’t see any of this behavior” and labeled Kitching an impressive woman to work alongside.

McCarthy also did not think it was appropriate to discuss the claims in the immediate aftermath of Kitching’s death and ahead of her funeral on Monday.

“One of the things I’m really conscious of here, as an Aboriginal woman, is that we have not had the funeral for senator Kitching,” she said.

“We have not given time for her family, for Andrew and those who love her, the respect to be able to do this with great dignity.

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