Senior firefighter claims boss labelled her 'an overly emotional woman'

A former veteran Northern Territory firefighter has claimed fire and rescue service deputy chief Stephen Hunter discriminated against her on the basis of her sex. Jo-Anna Kenney claims Mr Hunter characterised her "as an overly emotional woman who was not coping" in her senior role as acting district officer. What's next? The Anti-Discrimination Commission has referred the dispute to the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal where it is listed for a directions hearing in Darwin on Friday. A former long-serving senior firefighter has taken the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS) to the Anti-Discrimination Commission, claiming its deputy chief characterised her "as an overly emotional woman who was not coping". Jo-Anna Kenney worked for the NTFRS for five years between January 2020 and September last year in various roles — including as a high-ranking acting district officer between 2023 and 2025 — after a decade spent fighting fires in South Australia. Ms Kenney left the NTFRS last year and made a complaint to the commission alleging "discrimination on the basis of sex in the area of work" by Deputy Chief Fire Officer Stephen Hunter. Documents filed with the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT) show Ms Kenney alleged Mr Hunter "handled concerns about emails and a text message she had written in a way which was less favourable to how a man would have been treated in a similar situation". She claims he did so by "initiating a formal and punitive process in the first instance to discuss his concerns rather than speaking to her in person". Ms Kenney claims Mr Hunter also told her the NTFRS "did not believe she should be performing higher duties due to her communication style and concern for her wellbeing, without having previously raised any concerns about wellbeing or work performance". "[The alleged discrimination included] raising concerns about a direct communication style which would not have been identified if she had been a man," the document reads. "[And] characterising her as an overly emotional woman who was not coping rather than a strong lead." The documents show the commission referred Ms Kenney's complaint to NTCAT under section 86 of the Anti-Discrimination Act. "After evaluating a complaint under section 83, the commissioner may refer the complaint to the tribunal if the commissioner believes the complaint has a reasonable prospect of success at a hearing by the tribunal," the provision reads. The dispute has been set down for a directions hearing in NTCAT on Friday.