Greens MP ‘Will Never Be Welcome Back’ After Relationship With Staffer: Greens Leader

Victorian Greens State Member for Prahran Sam Hibbins speaks to media at Parliament House, in Melbourne, Australia, on May 23, 2023. AAP Image/Diego Fedele

Victoria’s Prahan MP Sam Hibbins has resigned from the Greens but says he will remain in Parliament as an independent after his relationship with a staff member was exposed. The 42-year-old is married and has two children.

But his behaviour has been condemned by Greens state leader Ellen Sandell.

“The Member for Prahran has completely lost my trust, and the trust of his Greens colleagues. [He] will never be welcome back in our party room,” she said. “I don’t think that he meets the standards of behaviour expected of any MP.”

“I want to say very clearly that I am angry. Everyone, especially women, deserves respect and safety in their workplace.”

Sandell said she was told of various allegations about Hibbins by the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS), who had behaved inappropriately over some time.

She then met with him, and he confirmed some of the allegations and denied others before she suspended him. He subsequently resigned from the party room and the Greens.

Hibbins had served as co-deputy leader of the state party.

The Greens leader said that due to the small number of staff, more details about the period or nature of allegations could not be divulged because that may reveal the employee’s identity.

“Women do not deserve to have their lives dragged through the media because of the behaviour of men,” she said in a statement.

Earlier Incident

Sandell claimed an earlier incident involving Hibbins—the nature of which she didn’t specify—had been reported to the DPS soon after he was first elected.

Although it was taken seriously “as any behavioural incidents should be by an organisation,” the complainant later withdrew their report and asked that no action be taken by the party.

Hibbins has held the seat of Prahran in Melbourne’s inner south-east since 2014.

He said he had breached party room rules by entering into the relationship and would leave the Greens to make amends and focus on his family.

“I recognise this was a significant error of judgement and understand the distress this has caused,” he said in a statement.

“This short relationship ended some time ago” and was consensual, he added.

“I accept the error in judgement in having a consensual relationship. I refute any suggestion beyond this, that has come after the relationship has broken down,” he said.

Hibbins confirmed will continue to sit in state parliament as an independent MP.

Shortly after his resignation, his profile was removed from the Victorian Greens website and his personal website was taken offline.