Victorian government ministers have defended the culture of the Labor Party and their leader Daniel Andrews in the wake of bullying allegations made by an outgoing MP.
Upper house MP Kaushaliya Vaghela told the Herald Sun newspaper she had been bullied and intimidated by people close to the Premier and detailed allegations of a toxic culture and factional infighting.
Ms Vaghela sensationally crossed the floor of parliament to vote against her own party on Wednesday, in order to support a motion by disgraced MP Adem Somyurek.
The vote to refer Labor's 2018 "red shirts" rorts scandal to the ombudsman and anti-corruption commission came after nearly two years of turmoil for the party, following allegations of widespread branch stacking led by Mr Somyurek and aided by MPs including Ms Vaghela.
Ms Vaghela was one of a number of MPs linked to Mr Somyurek who were not preselected for the upcoming state election or put in unwinnable spots on the upper house ballot.
The first-term MP, who will quit to the crossbench or be expelled from the party after crossing the floor, said in a statement posted to social media she had "suffered in silence for years".
"And when I did complain I was treated as a nuisance by the Premier's office," her statement said.
Ms Vaghela has not responded to multiple requests to speak to the ABC since she crossed the floor on Wednesday and said in her statement she would not be speaking further to media.
A government spokesperson said the comments "have no basis in fact".
"A complaint was made against a staff member and appropriate action was taken. To suggest otherwise is incorrect," they said in a statement.
Treasurer Tim Pallas said he understood a person accused of bullying had been investigated, removed from their direct role, and then later resigned.
Ms Vaghela alleged in her comments to the Herald Sun that Mr Andrews had a problem with women, but made no specific bullying allegations against him.
Mr Pallas said Ms Vaghela's criticisms were "not founded in any sense of fact" and said Mr Andrews had demonstrated in "very tangible and real ways" his commitment to fairness and equality.
"I'm not going to get involved in an analysis of the thought processes that led Ms Vaghela to make the comments she did," he said.
He said all claims of bullying or misbehaviour were taken seriously and investigated fully.
Attorney-General defends 'amazing support' from party and leader
State Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes told reporters on Saturday morning she strongly disagreed with Ms Vaghela's comments.
"My personal experience is that the Labor caucus is a strong team, a supportive team," she said.
"And I understand that there are allegations about a particular complaint made by Ms Vaghela in relation to a former staff member in the Premier's office and I understand that has been dealt with appropriately."
Ms Symes said she had "enjoyed amazing support from the Premier" and pointed to the even number of men and women in cabinet since 2018.
"And of course, have I had disagreements with the Premier? Sure, but I do not believe I have been treated any differently because of my gender, and I have been supported extremely well by Premier," she said.
"And any suggestion made that he is in any way a misogynist, I cannot say more strongly is untrue."
Ms Symes is also the leader of the government in the upper house and said she had reached out to Ms Vaghela but had not received a response.
In her statement posted to social media, Ms Vaghela said she thanked everyone who had supported her "on this very traumatic day".
"Whilst today is a traumatic day I also feel empowered and gratified that I have been able to tell my story publicly without the need to care about retribution," she said.
The opposition has called for a WorkSafe investigation into the claims.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said that Mr Pallas questioned Ms Vaghela's state of mind after she made a bullying complaint "tells you everything you need to know about the disgusting nature of the government".
"Her complaint should be investigated, she should be believed," he said.
