The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly has rejected the suggestion she would not have acted impartially if allegations against the Greens' Johnathan Davis had been brought to her.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Greens minister Emma Davidson told a review into the handling of the allegations she did not trust the Speaker's office to be non-partisan.
Speaker Joy Burch, through a spokeswoman, said any suggestion she would not have been able to act impartially was "unfounded and continues to highlight a lack of regard for the wellbeing of the complainants".
"It is also a narrative that deflects from the responsibilities Ms Davidson had to report the information she had received," Ms Burch's spokeswoman said.
Mr Davis resigned from the Assembly and his party in November after he was stood down by Greens leader Shane Rattenbury while the party examined allegations the member for Brindabella had sex with a minor and a 17-year-old.
Mr Davis, through a lawyer, has previously declined to comment on all allegations.
Ms Davidson was told of "rumours" about Mr Davis on October 28 but never raised them directly with Mr Rattenbury.
Ms Davidson told an independent reviewer examining the handling of the allegations she believed the Speaker's office was not non-political.
"In terms of my feelings about the Speaker's office, that relates to a matter where I needed to make a statement to the police about something unrelated, not too long before this happened," Ms Davidson told a press conference on Tuesday.
"And where I felt the Speaker's decisions had not put the safety and wellbeing of people who are working the Assembly building first."
Ms Burch's spokeswoman said the Speaker was surprised to learn through an independent review of Ms Davidson's view.
"At no stage has Ms Davidson, her office, or the Greens Executive Chief of Staff, raised concerns around impartiality with the Speaker, the Clerk of the Assembly, or the Chief Minister," the spokeswoman said.
"Madam Speaker welcomes the recommendations for the Greens to consider ways to build more trusting relationships and ensure available processes, including communication with the Speakers office, are used and respected."
Ms Burch told a parliamentary inquiry last year she found out about the allegations against Mr Davis by reading The Canberra Times.
The allegations should have been referred to the Speaker's office as part of requirements set out in the Assembly's child safety code of conduct policy.
A young person, now aged 18, alleged he and Mr Davis had a sexual relationship and had extensive conversations on a dating app, through which Mr Davis allegedly solicited intimate photographs when the young person was under age.
Former Australian public service commissioner Lynelle Briggs was appointed to independently review the Greens' handling of the allegations.
Ms Briggs found Legislative Assembly members and their staff should be compelled to report allegations involving sexual conduct, children and young people to police within 24 hours.
The review was critical of the Greens but found the party did not "wilfully or improperly withhold" information.
"I expect that any political party dealing with such an unfolding nightmare would have struggled to know exactly what to do and when to do it, but maybe they would likely have had a stronger eye on managing the risks and the fallout," Ms Briggs wrote.
The Greens also "failed to take advantage of the politically impartial advice and support available to them by way of the Clerk and the Ethics and Integrity Adviser until 10 November".
But Ms Briggs conceded the spread of reporting options made things complicated for complainants involved.
"One of the greatest challenges with any policy or procedure is not only that people are aware of the policies and supports available to them, but that they use them. That the Greens didn't in this case identifies either insufficient education or forgetfulness," she wrote.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr on Tuesday said the Greens' handling of the allegations levelled at Mr Davis had the potential to erode the community's confidence in coming forward to make a complaint.
Mr Barr said he was sorry a young complainant experienced considerable distress while the issue played out publicly last year.
Mr Rattenbury on Tuesday also said he deeply regretted the young person had felt traumatised by the way he was treated.
"We apologise that that is the impact that it's had on him. That was never our intention," Mr Rattenbury said.
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.
