Overview
- Senator Dorinda Cox quit the Greens on June 2 to join the Labor Party, boosting its Senate numbers by one.
- Multiple former staff and independent senator Lidia Thorpe lodged bullying complaints against Cox that the Greens say they abandoned after her defection.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insists those allegations were “dealt with” by the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, a claim Thorpe publicly rejects.
- Greens senators led by Sarah Hanson-Young accuse Labor of hypocrisy and say Cox should vacate her seat rather than represent a different party.
- New Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s elevation adds another layer of complexity to Senate negotiations as both major parties navigate narrow margins.