Greens leader Adam Bandt handballs staff complaints about Dorinda Cox’s office to independent watchdog

Greens leader Adam Bandt has handballed questions over workplace complaints made about one of his party’s WA senators to an independent parliamentary watchdog, despite knowing about the allegations for more than three years. Amid reports 20 staff have left Senator Dorinda Cox’s office in just three years, and four complaints had been made to the Parliament Workplace Support Service, Mr Bandt refused to say whether he would step in as leader and take responsibility, and cut short a press conference in Perth. Concerns about Senator Cox’s office administration were first revealed by The West in 2022, reporting that six staff members had left her office in the space of a year. The first complaint to the PWSS, in 2021, had also been made to Mr Bandt’s office. Further reporting this week revealed 20 staff members have left the Senator’s office in her three years in the Parliament, with several lodging formal complaints alleging a hostile culture where employees felt unsafe. Speaking in Perth on Thursday, Mr Bandt refused to be drawn on the complaints, or whether the PWSS had made any recommendations. “Because of the personal nature of a number of these complaints, I don’t have a lot more to say about it,” he said. “What we saw in the past has been that when staff brought forward complaints, there had been a feeling that they hadn’t been properly dealt with because it was treated as a political matter. “Our approach is that anytime any staff member comes to me or comes to my team with an issue, we take it very seriously, and we support them to take that complaint through the independent PWSS process, because that way everyone can be guaranteed it’s not going to be done as a political matter.” The body was set up in response to the Kate Jenkins-led report into parliamentary workplace culture, and prompted apologies from party leaders, including Mr Bandt. “Around half of the staff in parliamentary workplaces have experienced harassment, bullying or assault during their time here—half. We should all be appalled by that,” he said in 2022. “There cannot be more blame-shifting and glossing-over and waiting until later. The blame is ours. The shame is ours. “We owe it to everyone who took part (in the report) and to everyone in this place, everyone in this country, to show some leadership.” But the body is unable to compel or directly impose a sanction upon a parliamentarian, and can only recommend individuals undertake training or apologise. Asked what more evidence he needed to see to intervene as Greens leader, Mr Bandt said the party had fought for the independent body. “With complaints that have been brought forward, they’re being looked at by the independent monitor of workplace matters in Parliament, and that is something that we think is important and that puts integrity into the process,” he said. “If recommendations come out of this body, we’ll look at those issues, and if they make certain findings, then of course we will take these on board.” The first official complaint — reported by The West in 2022 — came from an ex-staffer to Senator Cox, who was first elected to Parliament to fill a Senate vacancy in 2021. Senator Cox’s office was contacted for comment.