‘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.

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.”

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 w