The Victorian opposition did not contact the alleged victim of a serious assault by a then-Labor MP before asking the state's top public servant to investigate.
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The state opposition wrote to Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) secretary Jeremi Moule requesting he investigate the allegations against Will Fowles and publicly report the outcome.
In a one-page letter, obtained by AAP, the opposition's upper house leader Georgie Crozier and manager of opposition business James Newbury said Victorian government employees must be safe at work.
Opposition Leader John Pesutto indicated the coalition had not spoken to the alleged victim before sending the referral to Mr Moule.
"This is not our place," he told reporters on Thursday.
"We fully expect that any investigation that DPC might undertake, or any other body, will fully respect the anonymity of any potential victims of the matter and any potential respondents to a complaint."
Given the allegation was described as serious, Mr Pesutto argued it was not acceptable for the Victorian public to learn nothing more about it.
"If bad behaviour is occurring, it needs to be addressed so it doesn't happen again," the Liberal leader said.
The Victorian government referred the matter to police on Saturday, but the force is yet to receive a formal complaint from the unnamed alleged victim.
Premier Daniel Andrews described his office's response as textbook and gold standard, and accused the Liberals of trying to gain a political advantage from the allegation.
"It's very easy for some to turn these matters into a political game," he said.
Mr Fowles resigned from Victorian Labor's parliamentary party but has strenuously denied the allegation and vowed to fully co-operate with any process or inquiry.
He was a no-show at parliament on Thursday, when the electoral matters committee began examining last year's state election.
As the committee's chair, Mr Fowles is set to pocket an extra $19,883 this financial year on top of his base MP salary of $198,839.
The committee's deputy chair, Liberal MP Evan Mulholland, questioned Labor assistant state secretary Cameron Petrie about whether the Victorian Electoral Commission should have the power to enforce appropriate behaviour at voting centres.
Mr Fowles was warned and removed from pre-polling centres after he consistently asked voters for their personal addresses, Mr Mulholland said.
Mr Petrie supported the commission having powers to call out individuals for their behaviour and move them on.
He and Labor state secretary Chris Ford said they were not aware of any complaints from the commission about Labor MPs' behaviour after the 2022 election.
Mr Ford refused to disclose whether Mr Fowles remained a member of the Labor Party.
Mr Andrews has suggested Mr Fowles should resign as the committee's chair and shut the door on any possibility of him returning to Labor's parliamentary ranks.
In 2019, Mr Fowles kicked through the lower half of a door at the Abode Hotel in Canberra during an argument with staff about his luggage.
He said his actions were driven by anxiety because he couldn't access his luggage, which had his medication inside.
He took a three-month leave of absence to deal with mental health issues, before returning to parliament.
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Australian Associated Press
