Victorian independent senator Lidia Thorpe has made allegations she was sexually harassed and assaulted at Parliament House, including in the Senate chamber, during her time as a Greens senator.
"It has been a very hard time for me in this place. I was sexually assaulted four times in my first six months," Senator Thorpe said.
"People wonder why I get a little bit frustrated, but I've had to endure so much in my time in this place and that's why I say it is a toxic workplace."
The allegations come on top of claims that Senator Thorpe was bullied by members of the Greens, which was a major factor behind her decision to leave the party earlier this year.
Senator Thorpe confirmed her allegations of sexual assault and harassment were about Labor and Coalition parliamentarians, not members of the Greens.
She said she chose not to speak out at the time, but the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS) were aware of her complaints.
"I didn't want any action taken," she said.
"The Jenkins review is meant to eradicate all of those kinds of behaviours and I have faith in that review and my participation in that review.
"I was very honest and frank about all of the things."
Mr Bandt's office has confirmed that the Greens leader was aware of Senator Thorpe's complaints, but rejected her assertions they constituted bullying.
"Mr Bandt worked with Senator Thorpe on the issues she raised, including arranging an opportunity to have her concerns addressed through PWSS mediation, but Senator Thorpe left the Greens before mediation occurred," the spokesperson said.
The Greens leader continued to have a good working relationship with Senator Thorpe, Mr Bandt's spokesperson added.
Senator Thorpe says she is waiting for apology from Bandt and media
Last October, Senator Thorpe quit as her party’s deputy senate leader after admitting she had failed to disclose that she had "briefly dated" the ex-president of the Victorian Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang while serving on a law enforcement committee.
Senator Thorpe then volunteered herself to be referred to parliament's powerful privileges committee, which looks into potential code of conduct breaches.
Earlier this week, the privileges committee cleared her of contempt of parliament.
But the privileges committee found that she should have disclosed her relationship with Mr Martin to the law enforcement committee at the time.
After the report was tabled in the Senate, Senator Thorpe contradicted comments she’d made to the Senate earlier and said she was never in a relationship with Dean Martin.
She said the two had kissed once at a rally but Greens party lawyers had advised her to say she had dated him.
Speaking on Thursday, Senator Thorpe told the ABC she was still awaiting an apology from Mr Bandt and the media for how she was treated last October.
"How many times did you see me riding around on a Harley Davidson? I've only ever ridden one once and I was quite petrified," Senator Thorpe said.
"I think there needs to be apologies from quite a number of people. No, I haven't had apologies from anybody."
Mr Bandt's office said the facts, as understood by the Greens, were those set out by Senator Thorpe in her letter to the privileges committee, in which she said the two dated.
