Lidia Thorpe has revealed she was one of the people to complain to the parliamentary watchdog about the former Greens senator Dorinda Cox and has disputed Anthony Albanese’s claim that allegations about Cox had been “dealt with”.
The Western Australian Greens confirmed on Tuesday the party would end its independent investigation into allegations of bullying by Cox after she announced on Monday she would defect from the Greens to Labor.
Cox, a Noongar Yamatji woman, was elected as senator in 2021 to fill a casual vacancy left by the Greens. Cox has been the subject of a number of workplace behaviour complaints, as first reported by the Nine newspapers last October. At the time, the WA senator apologised for “the distress this may have caused” but said there had been “significant missing context” in the reports of bullying allegations within her office.
The WA Greens launched an investigation into grievances against Cox in mid-January after a number of state party members made complaints about the workplace culture in her parliamentary and electorate offices.
On Monday, the prime minister said formal complaints lodged to Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS) had been “dealt with appropriately”.
Thorpe, a former Greens senator who is now independent, said she raised a complaint against her then-Greens colleague Cox in late 2022 to the Greens’ leader’s office and PWSS. Thorpe formally submitted the complaint to the PWSS in March 2023. Thorpe said on Wednesday her case remained unresolved because Cox declined to attend a mediation.
Thorpe said the PWSS had limited powers and the process had been “far from satisfactory”.
“Parliament should be setting the standard for the rest of the country,” she said. “We need a safe, accountable workplace, especially if we want to see more young people, First Peoples and people of colour stepping into politics.”
Cox’s office was approached for comment but referred Guardian Australia to the prime minister’s media team, which did not respond to questions.
A WA Greens convener said it was their understanding the independent inquiry into the Cox grievance matters would now cease.
It is not yet known whether an incomplete report will be given to the state division’s leadership, but it is unlikely to be made public.
A spokesperson for the PWSS said people could not be forced to attend mediation but that complainants could use other avenues, such as referring issues to the newly established Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.
“Mediation is one of the local resolution processes that the PWSS can facilitate to resolve a complaint. Mediation is a voluntary process and parties cannot be compelled by the PWSS to participate,” they said.
The PWSS was set up as an interim body before being made permanent in late 2023 and functions as a HR body for parliamentarians, their staffers and others working in the building.
The IPSC was established in September 2024 and has the power to investigate complaints and sanction those working within Parliament House.
Where more serious misconduct occurs, it must refer it to the privileges committee – made up of government and opposition members – to consider the appropriate sanctions. Those penalties can include a fine of between 2% and 5% of a politician’s annual salary, suspension from parliament or being sacked from parliamentary committees.
It’s understood the former Greens leader, Adam Bandt, personally received complaints from staffers in Cox’s office and referred them to the PWSS and IPSC.
The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, who played a part in establishing the two parliamentary workplace watchdogs, said it was important that political parties not investigate themselves for staff matters.
“Independence helps to ensure all involved in a grievance process feel that they have been heard and their concerns taken seriously,” she said.
“Since the IPSC was established at the end of last year, it is now the watchdog responsible for parliamentary conduct. It has been in operation for six months now, and it’s important that all parliamentarians take on feedback about improvements that can be made. In my role as Greens leader, I’ll be watching its processes closely to ensure it is performing as we intended.”
