The Canberra Liberals have called for an independent inquiry to examine the way ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury handled allegations of sexual misconduct that prompted the party's member for Brindabella to resign.
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Johnathan Davis formally resigned from the Legislative Assembly and his party on Sunday night, two days after The Canberra Times revealed he had been stood down indefinitely by his party after allegations he had sex with a minor and an inappropriate, but not illegal, relationship with a 17-year-old.
Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee said it was an incredibly distressing situation, and reports those involved went public due to inaction by the Greens were also concerning.
"There are still significant concerns regarding how this has been handled by the ACT Greens and there are still a number of questions that need to be answered," Ms Lee said in a statement on Monday.
Ms Lee's comments echo Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry's statement, released on Sunday night, which criticised the Greens' handling of the allegations.
"There are many questions that I have, that the ACT Labor caucus has, and that the community will likely have on how this episode was handled by the ACT Greens throughout the past week," Ms Berry said in a statement on Sunday night.
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Ms Lee said Mr Rattenbury needed to be upfront with the community about the specific allegations raised with him on Monday last week, whether they included criminal activity and if so, why he did not refer the allegations immediately to police.
"These are very serious allegations that have been made about the conduct of an MLA and how this serious complaint was handled by the ACT Greens must be scrutinised," she said.
"The Canberra Liberals call for an independent review on the handling of this by the leader of the ACT Greens and the ACT Greens party."
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
