‘Idiot’, ‘monster’, ‘witch’: Serial pest Andrew Thaler’s latest day in court did not go well

To the ordinary person, a three-hour grilling before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission over bullying allegations would be something to fear. For serial pest Andrew Thaler, it was merely a new stage upon which to vent his spleen.

The scrapyard owner’s against-the-odds election to the Snowy Monaro Regional Council in 2024 set off a world of woe for those on the receiving end of a sustained pattern of abuse and intimidation. His first targets before joining the council were several prominent women in the region including former state MPs and the leaders of grassroots community groups. His hit list has since expanded to include the council’s chief executive officer, Noreen Vu.

Thaler has been attacking Vu for months. In a series of Facebook videos and other communications, he has called her a “silly bitch”, “idiot”, “monster”, “short little f—ing witch”, “psychopath”, “Ms Obvuscation” (sic), and “little Vietnamese girl with a boy’s name”.

“I want you to resign, just resign and f— off. And when you get there, go even further,” he said of Vu in one post. In other videos, he said, “f— you, Noreen” and “f— you, Vu”.

On several occasions, he demanded to see her medical certificate after she became unwell and asked the mayor for leave. “I am sure you were not so incapacitated that you could not have provided an email of your own accord, either from the sanctity of the porcelain bus or your bed,” he wrote to her.

Earlier this year Vu decided enough was enough, launching proceedings in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission seeking a so-called stop bullying order – one of the first cases of its kind in the world of local government. The case is being advanced on her behalf by the Development and Environmental Professionals’ Association.

Stop-bullying orders were introduced in October 2025 so NSW public servants and local government employees can ask the Industrial Relations Commission to intervene to prevent or stop further bullying, insist on apologies or retractions, and order up to $100,000 in damages.

Under examination at a hearing in Parramatta on Tuesday, Thaler denied his many remarks about Vu directly constituted bullying and breaches of the council’s code of conduct, arguing the comments were merely his opinion.

Challenged by Vu’s barrister Ian Latham on whether calling the council’s most senior employee a “silly bitch” was appropriate, Thaler responded: “Mr Latham, it’s 2026 not the 1800s.”

“So you think it’s OK, do you?” Latham shot back.

Thaler replied: “It’s disrespectful on purpose because I had told Ms Vu that she had lost my respect on account of many factors.” He later accepted he went “a bit far” in some videos.

From Vu’s perspective, Thaler has made life hell. In documents filed before the commission, she says Thaler had damaged her health, wellbeing and sleep, and she was worried there would be no end in sight unless the commission intervenes.

Thaler was elected to Snowy Monaro Regional Council in 2024 with 111 first-preference votes, despite a history of harassing members of the community, particularly women, on his social media accounts.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Thaler agreed he had mocked Vu online. “I mock a lot of people,” he said. “Anybody who attacks me, or has done wrong by me, I have a right to mock them – as does Monty Python, and they are cultural heroes.”

Asked whether he would accept swearing at, abusing and mocking people was acceptable, Thaler countered that in his view such conduct was not unlawful. “There are limits, and I do not believe I have breached those limits. I also stand by the wider context that this is not the 1800s.”

Latham replied: “So, given it’s 2026, your position is that you’re allowed to say and do whatever you like?” Thaler replied: “If we want to promote ourselves as living in a democracy, yes, that is a presumption we have. The presumption of free speech, the presumption of free thought.”

In one Facebook video, Thaler said of Vu: “I’m out to destroy your career now. Because you are the most despicable, disgusting woman that we could ever meet in our area.” In another, he said: “You want to play? You better be ready to be played, Noreen.”

He did not deny making the videos but said the quotes used in the case were selective and the material was not disrespectful or abusive.

Much of Tuesday’s hearing bordered on farce as Thaler used his time in the witness box to make further allegations against his perceived enemies. He even attacked the commissioner, Christopher Muir, saying everyone should go home because he believed the commissioner was not impressed with some of the evidence he was giving.

Latham laughed out loud when Thaler argued that stating his views was protected under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Article 1 of the same declaration, which encourages human beings to act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood, was not mentioned.

During one tense moment, Latham decided it was better to let Thaler carry on with a rant rather than stop him and slow down proceedings. “I stand amazed at my own moderation, but I won’t interrupt you,” Latham said.

Oshie Fagir, a barrister representing the council, said Thaler’s antics had brought the commission “past the point where pragmatism might allow us to just continue”.

“We are beyond the pale,” he said. “Some of the things being said are completely and utterly scandalous.”

The hearing neatly highlighted the longstanding challenge of dealing with Thaler; traditional methods of accountability and potential sanction – such as hauling someone before the Industrial Relations Commission – are in his eyes not something to fear but an opportunity to further prosecute his grievances.

He has already been suspended from the council twice for various code of conduct breaches, and by his own admission is up to his eyeballs in various legal scraps. “I’ve got that many court cases running that I’m limited in my abilities financially, in time, and legally,” Thaler explained.

He recently returned to council after a three-month suspension.

In a letter to the Industrial Relations Commission, the council’s chief people officer Angela Sommerville said the organisation had sought all available remedies to deal with Thaler’s conduct.

“Cr Thaler has repeatedly stated his disdain for the code of conduct process and his intention to continue to deliberately breach the requirements under the code,” she wrote.

She said the Office of Local Government had suspended Thaler for misconduct, and noted Thaler had not adhered to prior orders to apologise. She said SafeWork NSW had chosen not to intervene.

“Council is in a situation where it cannot mitigate the risks to Ms Vu through any effective controls,” Sommerville concluded in her letter.

Vu and the Development and Environmental Professionals’ Association want the commission to order Thaler to cease using her name and/or position on social media in any way that causes or involves intimidation or abuse, only communicate with Vu via email between 9am and 5pm only, and refrain from one-on-one contact during council meetings.