AMP has refused to provide Julia Szlakowski “unrestricted” access to an independent investigation report into her own sexual harassment complaint, says Maurice Blackburn.

“The regime is unacceptable,” Maurice Blackburn said.
“The proposed regime gives rise to a strong inference that your clients real objective is to control and dictate the public discourse surrounding the release of the report, rather than to genuinely provide our client with a reasonable and fair opportunity to consider her position and provide meaningful consent,” the law firm said.
Seizing on comments reported by The Australian Financial Review this week, in which AMP chief executive Francesco De Ferrari told AMP employees in an all staff email that the “board’s aim is to show that the complaint was thoroughly investigation and a proper processs was followed” by producing the documents, Maurice Blackburn encouraged AMP to produce all documents tied to the investigation.
An AMP spokesman declined to respond to questions.
Maurice Blackburn principal Josh Bornstein, who has reviewed a single document provided by AMP to Ms Szlakowski which summarises the findings of the investigation, said the document shows the factual account of Ms Szlakowski’s claims have not been denied by Mr Pahari, just that some were not considered harassment by AMP.
In an explosive statement on Monday, Ms Szlakowski alleged Mr Pahari discussed his limp dick when she declined his offer to use his credit card to buy clothes, called another employee a fag, asked her to use an encrypted messaging app so he could evade AMPs scrutiny, and spent company money funding international travel when it was seen as not necessary by other AMP Capital managers.
AMP has signalled it is unwilling to release Ms Szlakowski’s initial complaint or other documents tied to the investigation, and Maurice Blackburn has said the release of the investigation report will be contingent on the production of the terms of reference provided to Mr Burns for the investigation, all communications between Mr Burns and AMP and its lawyers regarding the complaint and investigation, any draft investigation report, and all documents relating to Mr Pahari’s penalty.
The law firm has also requested evidence of the “apology allegedy provided by Mr Pahari” to Ms Szlakowski, who contends she never recieved an apology, and evidence of the type of counselling Mr Pahari received. In a statement in July coinciding with the Financial Review’s investigation into the matter, Mr Pahari claimed he had apologised to Ms Szlakowski and AMP said the former head of infrastructure equity had recieved counselling over the matter.
AMP shares have fallen about 40 per cent since Mr De Ferrari took over as chief executive. The stock has lost more than 60 per cent of its value since David Murray took over as chairman following the departure of Ms Brenner during the royal commission.
This month, AMP Australia boss Alex Wade abruptly resigned after the Financial Review’s investigations triggered multiple complaints, including allegations the former executive sent explicit photos to female colleagues.
Mr De Ferrari had worked for years with Mr Wade at Credit Suisse before he was hired to run AMP’s sprawling wealth management business, but has declined to answer questions about Mr Wade.
Francesco De Ferrari (right) and Alex Wade when they worked at Credit Suisse Private Bank in Australia in 2017.  Wolter Peeters
This week, AMP’s two largest individual shareholders, the US-based fund Harris Associates and Sydney-based asset manager Allan Gray, signalled their unhappiness with the company’s top managers and Mr Murray’s board. The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors, which represents funds that hold, on an average, 10 per cent of Australian listed stocks, also said Mr Pahari’s position was “untenable”.
The $160 billion Future Fund also this week said it had “made it clear” to AMP Capital, which acts as an investment adviser for the Peter Costello-chaired fund, that it was unhappy with the revelations.
Former AMP chief executive Andrew Mohl, the company’s most successful contemporary leader, told the Financial Review this week he and many other long-serving or former employees are “gutted” at the current state of the company.
Mr Bornstein has described AMP’s contention that Mr Pahari’s behaviour such as inquiring about Ms Szlakowski’s dating history, giving her his credit card to buy “a dress and heels”, and asking her to use encrypted messaging apps to avoid AMP scrutiny did not constitute harassment was “trivialising a serious case of sexual harassment”. He said the company’s categorisation of Mr Pahari’s behaviour treated individual claims as “discrete” events and not part of a broader pattern of unwanted sexual conduct.