Staff Departures and Workplace Complaints Plague Greens Senator Dorinda Cox’s Office

Twenty staff members have reportedly left the office of Greens Western Australia Senator Dorinda Cox over the past three years amid claims of a toxic workplace culture. Multiple former employees have lodged formal complaints, alleging a hostile environment that made them feel unsafe.

According to several ex-staffers who spoke to this publication, efforts to address these issues through party leader Adam Bandt’s office and the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS) have been unsuccessful. A formal complaint dating back to mid-2021, directed to parliament’s workplace support service and Bandt, highlights distressing instances of confrontations with Cox, who became the Greens’ First Nations spokesperson after Lidia Thorpe‘s departure from the party last year.

One anonymous former staffer described disturbing behavior by Cox that compromised their sense of safety. “During my time working in the office, I witnessed and experienced disturbing behaviour by Dorinda Cox towards myself and other staff members,” they stated in the complaint. The document emphasized the complainant’s constant apprehension about potential outbursts from Cox.

Furthermore, another former staffer drafted a complaint highlighting chronic negative interactions with Cox that severely impacted their mental health. Though this complaint was not officially submitted, the draft outlined frequent aggressive behaviors that reportedly led to panic attacks and significant declines in the staffer’s professional self-esteem.

Aunty Esther Montgomery, a Mardathoonera elder from the Pilbara region, who worked briefly for Cox earlier this year, described a contentious working relationship. “She asked me to come and work for her and I had high hopes, but she is a bully,” Montgomery remarked. Her tenure ended with a formal complaint submitted to Bandt’s office and the PWSS.

In response to these claims, a cultural diagnostic review by the corporate wellbeing service FBG Group in April 2022 identified significant staff turnover in Cox’s office. The review recommended psychological support for Cox and wellbeing coaching for the office staff.

Despite the high turnover and ongoing complaints, spokespeople for Bandt and Cox have refrained from providing specific answers regarding the bullying allegations or the results of the cultural diagnostic. A spokesperson for Cox attributes the turnover partly to her transition into the First Nations portfolio coinciding with the Voice to Parliament referendum campaign.

Cox maintains that she works respectfully and collaboratively with her staff, expressing gratitude towards the PWSS for their support in navigating political and personal challenges. However, critics from within her former staff argue that the existing mechanisms for handling workplace disputes are insufficient compared to standards in the corporate sector.