Tasmania's Labor opposition leader Rebecca White has asked embattled MP David O'Byrne to resign from state parliament in light of sexual harassment allegations made against him.
The party early last week determined no further action was required against former leader Mr O'Byrne following an independent investigation.
Former junior staffer Rachel Midson accused Mr O'Byrne of kissing her and sending her inappropriate text messages without her consent in 2007 and 2008 when they worked for a union.
Mr O'Byrne has admitted to the conduct but said he believed at the time it was consensual. He has rejected Ms Midson's assertion it amounted to sexual harassment.
Ms White revealed she asked Mr O'Byrne to resign at a party meeting on Sunday afternoon.
"I hope that he has reflected on the comments that were shared with him by his caucus colleagues and at our party room meeting (on Monday) he'll tender his resignation," she said.
"The community expects leaders like us to uphold certain standards and I don't believe in this instance that David has upheld those standards."
Ms White said the issue had been "consuming" the Labor party.
Mr O'Byrne was appointed Labor leader in mid-June following the party's third straight election loss but stepped down from the role a few weeks later after the allegations were made public.
Ms Midson has said she has no faith in the investigation's outcome and was left "physically sick" that the report "found there was a consensual atmosphere about the interactions between myself and David at the time the conduct occurred".
In a written statement last Tuesday, Ms White said Mr O'Byrne had a clear commitment to Tasmania and would continue his strong work in the electorate of Franklin.
She released a statement on Wednesday, saying she felt "deeply uncomfortable" by the events of the previous days.
Ms White, who was at the helm at Labor's May 1 defeat, was reappointed leader after Mr O'Byrne stepped down.
Two former Tasmanian Labor premiers, Lara Giddings and Paul Lennon, released a statement on Sunday night calling on Mr O'Byrne to resign.
"We must lead from the front to say it's not on," Ms Giddings, who became the first female premier of Tasmania in 2011, told ABC Radio.
"There are too many vulnerable women in their workplace who will feel 'What's the point now of raising my complaint?'."
