The New South Wales Greens senator Lee Rhiannon could face censure or expulsion from the party room after a signed complaint letter from all her colleagues accused her of potentially damaging conduct in the schools debate.

The letter regarding Rhiannon’s conduct was discussed at a special national council meeting over the weekend but it is understood the council advised Greens MPs that it was up to the party room to take action as they saw fit.

Rhiannon is one of 10 Green senators and members in the federal parliament.

It is understood the party is planning a special meeting in the near future, given parliament does not return from a long winter recess until 8 August.

The MPs can expel members from the party room, but not cancel Greens membership. However, expelling Rhiannon would give the Greens one less confirmed vote in the minority Senate.

The letter also comes in the lead up to Rhiannon’s preselection battle for her NSW Senate spot, expected in coming months. Rhiannon intends to run for another six-year term, in spite of significant opposition to her candidacy from the elements in the NSW Greens and in other states.

After the last election, former Greens leader Bob Brown accused Rhiannon and the NSW Greens of lagging behind other states. Rhiannon, known for her hard left positions, has previously said Brown had been trying to get rid of her since 2007.

In an unprecedented letter to the Australian Greens National Council and the Greens NSW State Delegates Council on Friday, all nine of Rhiannon’s colleagues said they had met to discuss a leaflet authorised by the senator urging a campaign against the Coalition’s Australian education amendment bill, dubbed Gonski 2.0.



The MPs wrote they were extremely disappointed that Rhiannon did not tell her party room of the leaflet at a time when the Greens were under enormous pressure over the school funding policy.

Labor and the Australian Education Union (AEU) had opposed the Coalition’s school funding policy, leaving the government only two pathways to pass the bill, via the Greens or the crossbench.

Last week, Greens leader Richard Di Natale and education spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young maintained they were open to negotiate to “improve” the bill and won significant amendments including $5bn extra, an independent funding body and set state funding targets.

But the party came under extreme pressure from the AEU, who threatened to campaign against them in the next federal election if they supported the Coalition bill.

The party came closer to a decision on 21 June, with Rhiannon the only Greens MP opposed outright to the bill though the issue was not put to a party room vote. As Di Natale finalised a position, the Coalition announced it had won the support of the crossbench.

“We were astounded that Senator Rhiannon was engaged with its production and distribution without informing party room at a time when we were under enormous pressure from all sides as we considered our position on the [schools] bill,” the letter says.



“This leaflet was in circulation when the leader and the portfolio holder, authorised by party room, were in discussions with the government securing billions of dollars of additional funding for underfunded public schools. Clearly, this leaflet had the potential to damage those negotiations.”

Rhiannon said on her Facebook page that she had always been faithful to Greens policy and process and her work did not impact on the Greens negotiations with the government.

She described the leaflets as a good initiative of Greens local groups that highlighted the negative impact the Turnbull funding plan on local public schools.



But the leaflets did urge people to lobby senators, before any final position on school funding by the Greens.

“Producing such materials are a regular feature of Greens campaigns,” Rhiannon said. “These leaflets urged people to lobby all senators to oppose the bill. I was proud to stand with branches of the Australian Education Union, particularly as the Turnbull school funding plan favoured private schools.”

Rhiannon’s critics characterise her as obstructionist for refusing to deal with the Coalition on any policies on ideological grounds.



However she did support Malcolm Turnbull’s Senate reforms at the last election to abolish group tickets.

The double-dissolution election combined with the Senate reforms increased the size of the crossbench to its largest ever number.