‘Our processes have failed these women,’ says Lee Rhiannon, following ABC investigation into complaints

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Greens senator Lee Rhiannon has called on the New South Wales upper house member Jeremy Buckingham to stand aside until an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment is completed.

Rhiannon’s intervention follows an ABC 7:30 investigation into the Greens’ handling of alleged sexual harassment, which has led the federal leader Richard Di Natale to apologise to several women who feel the party failed to deal with their complaints.

In Thursday’s program, the former Greens researcher Ella Buckland alleged that in 2011, Buckingham grabbed her inappropriately and kissed her neck in a dark street in front of his house in Newtown.

In a statement, Buckingham told Guardian Australia the allegations were false and that “female witnesses” could corroborate his account.

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He claimed the NSW Greens executive officer had told him an investigation into the allegation was complete and the allegations were “not substantiated”, although the Greens say the matter is still being investigated. Buckingham called on the party to release the report and suggested that refusing to release it was part of an ongoing factional attack against him.

The ABC report also featured the stories of Lauren Ingram, who alleged in 2015 that a Greens member raped her in his apartment, and an unidentified woman, who alleged she was raped by a fellow Greens volunteer in the back of a car on the night of the federal election in 2016.

Ingram’s complaint is reportedly the subject of a police investigation, and the ACT Greens said they were unable to comment on the second case because it was the subject of litigation, which the party is seeking to settle with the complainant.

In a statement on Facebook, Rhiannon said the report was “deeply troubling and devastating”.



“It is clear from [the] program that our processes have failed these women,” she said.

“We must never put personal or political ambition ahead of the welfare of our members and staff.”



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Rhiannon said that given the “incredibly serious nature of the allegations”, Buckingham “must immediately at least stand aside while the investigation is completed”.

In a joint statement, the Australian and NSW Greens acknowledged that the party “has not always had processes in place that support” the goal of creating a safe environment for all individuals who take part in the movement.

“We acknowledge that the Greens NSW made mistakes in handling complaints which were dealt with under the processes recently put in place, causing distress to the women involved,” it said.

“We are working collaboratively to review and strengthen our process. To women who have felt let down by the process, we apologise.”

Di Natale said the Greens had “made significant efforts” to strengthen their policies and processes on respect for others, and it was “devastating that recent events have shown us that the Greens complaints handling have still let women down”.

He reiterated the apology from the Australian and NSW Greens co-convenors.

“To the women involved in these matters, on behalf of our party, we are very sorry that our response left you feeling alone and unsupported. You deserved better.”



