Reports over the past week have alleged this mistreatment included hostile behaviour from the Senate leadership team of Penny Wong,Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher.
The three Labor frontbenchers issued a joint statement on Friday morning saying they felt it was necessary to respond to the ongoing hurtful statements.
“Our priority at this time has been Senator Kitching’s husband,Andrew,her family and her loved ones. Their grief is profound,their loss immeasurable,” they said.
“Out of respect for them,and for Senator Kitching,we have not responded to allegations that have been made,despite them not being true.
“This has been hard,but we believed it to be the right thing to do to maintain some dignity for all concerned.”