Tensions between Australian Greens members of federal parliament and the party's First Nations advisory group over the Indigenous Voice to Parliament have escalated into allegations of a confrontation at Perth airport and complaints to police.
The Greens mediation process to address internal disagreements over the party's support for the Voice recently stalled.
Greens First Nations spokesperson, Noongar Yamatji Senator Dorinda Cox has alleged she was "physically grabbed and shaken" by former Blak Greens leader, Tjanara Goreng Goreng.
The WA senator reported the incident to the federal police, and has said it was "just one of a number of challenging interactions" with members of the advisory group.
Ms Goreng Goreng, who ran for the an Australian Capital Territory senate seat in the last federal election, has also filed a police report related to the incident, claiming Senator Cox had been "overbearing" and made Ms Goreng Goreng feel like "she was going to attack" her.
Senator Cox and Ms Goreng Goreng give contrasting accounts of the conversation, which occurred at Perth Airport on May 6.
While the former Blak Greens leader says she had tapped Senator Cox on the shoulder to greet her, Senator Cox alleges she was grabbed and shaken.
A spokesperson for the senator told Guardian Australia the incident "has had a serious impact on Senator Cox's wellbeing", and had been reported to Greens leader Adam Bandt, the party's co-conveners, and the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service as well as the AFP.
Ms Goreng Goreng's police complaint, filed May 9, said: "I put my arms out to greet her … I tapped her on both arms on the lower shoulder and said in a friendly voice 'hello Dorinda'... Dorinda stepped back and folded her arms in front of her. She looked down at me and said 'what are you doing here? Who gave you permission to be on this country' … Her tone of voice was officious, her stance was overbearing. I felt like she was going to attack me."
The Australian Federal Police have not commented or confirmed if an investigation was underway.
