The chairman and group CEO of the company that launched rockets for NASA in East Arnhem Land earlier this year has been accused of making disparaging comments about women, Indigenous Australians and all Territorians, in a Federal Court filing.

Former CEO of Equatorial Launch Australia Carley Scott has filed a $4.8 million lawsuit against ELA, claiming that Michael Jones bullied her out of the job last year and also subjected her to “belittling and discriminatory” comments.

The lawsuit, reported by the Financial Review, alleges that upon arriving in Darwin, Mr Jones told Ms Scott, “I can feel my IQ dropping already. Do I have to speak slower now?”

The NT Government has been a major proponent of the company, investing $5 million of Territory taxpayer money into ELA. The firm has raised more than $20 million from investors so far and successfully launched commercial rockets from Arnhem Land in July.

In another instance, Ms Scott alleges that Mr Jones said that she was “left wing” while travelling to East Arnhem Land for showing support for Indigenous people, adding there was too much money being spent on Aboriginal people and that they “get enough and are still crying poor” and that “if you mother them, you just create more mothers”.

Ms Scott also alleges that during a meeting Mr Jones told her he thought it was “absolutely genius” for a man to claim temporary insanity for beating his wife to death as everyone would understand she drove the man crazy.

Ms Scott was fired in March, which she claims was unlawful adverse action because she had exercised her workplace right to complain about bullying.

According to the statement of claim in the Federal Court, Mr Jones, who was then chair of ELA allegedly told a board candidate in September 2021 that “new investors are very concern[ed]” about Ms Scott’s “ability to deliver”.

He also allegedly told ELA founder Scott Wallis that Ms Scott was “a deer in the headlights” when it came to site development and told her that he didn’t know what she was “doing day to day”.

The statement of claim also alleged that Mr Jones had told Ms Scott if he were an investor, he would have “told you to ‘go and get fucked’”.

By October 2021, Mr Jones had allegedly excluded Ms Scott from meetings with accountants and directors, including one about a proposed restructure that would have seen Mr Jones take over as CEO, demoting Ms Scott.

The lawsuit states that Ms Scott refused to sign a new contract after the restructure and took personal leave while applying to the Fair Work Commission about the bullying complaints.

An ELA spokesman told the Financial Review the company would not respond to the allegations as the matter was before the courts but suggested it would bring its own claims against Ms Scott over her alleged conduct while in the role.

“ELA’s defence and the associated counterclaim against Ms Scott as to her conduct during her employment and directorship with ELA is to be filed and will be tried on the timetable set by the court,” a spokeswoman told the publication.

“The defence and counterclaim will be vigorously pressed in the court.”