The Greens faction representing Indigenous members of the party actively opposed Dorinda Cox's appointment as the party's First Nations spokeswoman, amid concerns about her interactions with senior Indigenous leaders and her own staff, The Weekend Australian reports.
The Blak Greens had wanted deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi "or anyone else" other than Senator Cox to be given the portfolio after it became available following Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe's decision to quit the party last year over its support for the Voice to Parliament.
The faction said it was concerned about the state of Senator Cox's relations with some sections of the Indigenous community, and about the circumstances surrounding her high turnover of staff members.
Three senior staff resigned in the space of about six weeks in February and March this year, with chief of staff Vivienne Glance, campaigner Linelle Fields and media adviser Lou Hendricks departing.
One senior figure in the Blak Greens, who did not want to be named, told The Weekend Australian the group had made multiple complaints to the party and the office of Greens leader Adam Bandt about Senator Cox, but no action was taken.
Senator Cox was the only Indigenous parliamentarian in the party following Senator Thorpe's departure, but the Blak Greens source said the faction did not believe that the First Nations portfolio should necessarily be held by an Indigenous person.
"It's a myth to say you have to be a First Nations person to be able to work effectively in that space," the source told The Australian.
"The bottom line is, you want someone who's honest and you can work with … You don't care about their nation when you're in the trenches, you want someone who has got your back.
"Dorinda has come along, and she's just bullying everyone left, right and centre … She gets personal and nasty."
The Weekend Australian also obtained copies of letters sent to the Greens leadership by one prominent West Australian Indigenous leader who expressed concerns about Senator Cox's behaviour.
One of the letters, sent to the Greens National Council earlier this year, accused Senator Cox of acting in an "unprofessional, disrespectful manner" towards her at a public event.
"As a Noongar woman with a proud history of Indigenous rights leadership, this conduct is unacceptable," she wrote.
On Friday Senator Cox released a statement apologising for the distress that any shortcomings in her office may have caused.
"Politics is a challenging and high pressure environment, especially as a First Nations Woman with five federal portfolios and competing priorities, including Australia's largest geographical electorate," Senator Cox said.
"There have been many challenges during my first three years in office including the COVID epidemic, taking on the First Nations portfolio alongside the Voice Referendum and leading many significant Committee inquiries. All whilst establishing and recruiting two office based teams to secure my six year term with the ambition of an effective, safe and supportive work environment."
Mr Bandt issued a statement last week defending his office's handling of the complaints, noting that the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service was the appropriate independent body to handle the matter.
"My staff encouraged every staff member who raised concerns to raise these matters with the PWSS, which is the independent body that has legal powers and responsibility to deal with complaints about MPs and their offices," he said.
