Councillor defends calling CEO 'despicable, disgusting woman'

Andrew Thaler has given testimony to the Industrial Relations Commission over bullying allegations raised by the Snowy Monaro Regional Council CEO. (ABC News)

NSW councillor Andrew Thaler has defended his behaviour under questioning over a bullying action brought against him in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.

Additional written submissions will be received by Commissioner Christopher Muir before June 12, and a judgment will be delivered after that.

A NSW councillor has defended describing his council's CEO as a "disgusting, despicable woman", telling an industrial relations tribunal that he was only responding to insults.

WARNING: This article contains racist, sexist and offensive language.

The elected councillor from Snowy Monaro Regional Council (SMRC) is the subject of a stop bullying application, brought by the Development and Environmental Professionals' Association (DEPA) on behalf of SMRC CEO Noreen Vu.

Andrew Thaler gave evidence to the commission on Tuesday morning about evidence from Ms Vu that he had sent her multiple emails since November 2025 and made multiple social media videos about her.

In frequently fiery exchanges with the barrister representing DEPA, Ian Latham quizzed Cr Thaler on whether he had used derogatory language when describing Ms Vu.

Cr Thaler admitted to using the following terms to describe Ms Vu.

"[A] calculating, conniving, unreasonable person and a liar."

Cr Thaler gave a range of justifications for using the terms, including saying that he was mocking her or that he was being deliberately disrespectful to someone he did not respect.

Noreen Vu alleges that Andrew Thaler has been repeatedly demeaning towards her. (Supplied)

"There's a broader context you're trying to ignore or selectively truncate," Cr Thaler said.

He claimed that Ms Vu had attacked him and impugned that he was a paedophile, which was rejected by Mr Latham.

Cr Thaler said the behaviour towards Ms Vu was part of "give and receive, to and fro, attack and reply".

"If people violate limits to attack me, then those limits won't apply to me in response," he said.

"If the limits are to apply to me and no-one else, then we have a failed society."

Cr Thaler also made wide-ranging allegations against Ms Vu, SMRC Mayor Chris Hanna, SMRC staff, the United Services Union, the Office of Local Government and Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig.

During the cross-examination, the lawyer representing SMRC, Oshie Fagir, interjected twice that in using his answers to put serious allegations on the public record without supporting evidence, Cr Tha