There are fresh concerns of a cultural issue in parliament following the sudden death of Kimberley Kitching.

Her suspected fatal heart attack is being partly attributed to stress she was under as part of her job.

There have been reports that Senator Kitching was treated poorly by a number of her own colleagues – reports which senior Labor Party members deny.

But from the other side of the floor, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews says the allegations aren’t surprising.

Neil Breen: “Is there a mean girls group in the senior ranks of the Labor Party?”

Karen Andrews: “Look, I read the mean girls story this morning and quite frankly, I was horrified – not necessarily surprised – but I was horrified with what I read.

“Labor’s spent the last couple of years trying to stay under the radar and of course, now we’re getting close to an election, some of the behaviours are starting to bubble up.”

Neil Breen: “Do you think Senator Penny Wong, Kristina Kenneally, players like that in the Labor Party have got questions to answer today?”

Karen Andrews: “I think there’s a lot that happened that is not in the public domain.

“I make no comments in relation to what might have happened because I simply don’t know.”

Press PLAY below to hear the full interview 

Image: Nine News