Lawyers for former Coalition staffer Rachelle Miller have accused the Federal Government of leaking information about a potential taxpayer-funded settlement and released the prime minister from any confidentiality obligations.
Ms Miller has alleged that during a consensual affair with frontbencher Alan Tudge in 2017 he was emotionally and, on one occasion, physically abusive, claims he strenuously denies.
Ms Miller launched legal action and filed a claim with the Department of Finance alleging workplace bullying, harassment and discrimination over her time as a staffer.
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Ms Miller also worked in the office of Cabinet minister Michaelia Cash, now the attorney-general.
This week reports emerged about a $500,000 taxpayer-funded settlement to be paid to Ms Miller but Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to comment on it, citing confidentiality.
However this afternoon Ms Miller has purportedly challenged the prime minister to speak about it publicly in an open letter released through her lawyer and posted to her own Twitter account.
"Our client remains fully prepared to abide confidentiality in relation to this matter," the letter, signed by Peter Gordon, a senior partner at Gordon Legal, reads.
"However, we are instructed that she irrevocably releases the Commonwealth (including the relevant Department and the Prime Minister) from any obligation of confidentiality in respect of her claim, any settlement of it including any financial terms."
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The letter also accuses the government or someone in it as being the source of leaked details about the settlement and legal costs.
"Neither our client nor her husband nor anyone retained by her either at this firm or counsel have made any disclosure to anyone which could directly or indirectly be the source of these articles," the letter read.
"It therefore must be the case that the source or sources of these articles came from the Commonwealth Government.
"The leak has caused our client acute stress and embarrassment as well as significant harassment by the media which continues.
"In the context of the election campaign, our client sees no end to this harassment until the matter is satisfactorily addressed."
Mr Morrison was asked about the compensation settlement on 2GB this week but would not go into details.
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"I can't make any comment on that because I don't have any visibility on it," he said.
"Those are private matters between the department of finance and Ms Miller, and they're appropriately at arm's length from me."
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, Mr Tudge and Senator Cash – whom Ms Miller has accused of forcing her to take a "fake redundancy" – have all refused to comment this week.
There has also been confusion around whether Mr Tudge, who stood aside as education minister in December, remained in Cabinet.
An independent review into whether Mr Tudge had breached ministerial standards was held and once completed, he requested to remain on the backbench.
But this week the prime minister confirmed Mr Tudge was still in the federal cabinet and that he would return as the education minister if the Coalition won the election.
