The social-worker turned politician of Indian-origin Alex Bhathal has quit the Greens party; in what she called it was an ‘extremely difficult, heartbreaking decision’ on Friday.
Ms Bhathal said she had ‘lost faith’ in the Party’s governance.
“I can no longer remain silent about the abuses of power and process that seem to be endemic within the organisation,” she wrote in her blog titled ‘Why I have resigned from the Greens’ on her website.
Ms Bhathal said she had been subjected to "relentless organisational bullying" within the party in last five years and claimed the Greens have a "gross problem with governance and process" that threatens to derail the party.
Ms Bhathal has recently faced a lot of turmoil in her political career.
From being the candidate for the Greens in the seat of Batman since joining the party in 2001 (except 2007 when she stood as a Senate candidate), she has recently been under investigation by the Greens disputes panel for a range of misconduct, including bullying and intimidation, which has consistently denied.
On Friday, she wrote, “This panel has asked me to respond to non-particularised charges and long-winded, rambling accounts which consist of opinions and groundless, wide-ranging accusations, many of which relate to the actions of others. In the 56-page document I have been provided, there is not a shred of evidence to support the allegations.”
Source: Facebook
“I have now come to the realisation that I can no longer subject myself to this continuing organisational abuse. I am exhausted and worn down and my children have been traumatised. I’m leaving because I need to get out of this awful situation and get my life back.
“I want to put on the record that I’ve never engaged in bullying or intimidation of anyone.
“After supporting too many others through traumatic, grossly unfair investigations and ‘dispute resolution’ processes, I have decided that my only ethical recourse is to resign,” said.
