A Greens member under investigation for allegedly having sex with an underage boy and a teenager should resign from the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister have said.
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Andrew Barr and Yvette Berry said in a joint statement the allegations against Mr Davis were very serious, and affected his ability to work as a sitting member of the Assembly.
"Mr Davis will need to consider his position. The best path would be to accept what we understand to be the position of the ACT Greens party leadership and resign his position in the Assembly," the pair said in a joint statement.
The ACT Greens have referred to police serious allegations Mr Davis had sexual relationships with an underage boy and with a teenager.
The party is investigating allegations Mr Davis, 31, separately engaged in a relationship with a 17-year-old boy and had sex with a 15-year-old boy.
Mr Barr and Ms Berry expected a full police investigation to take place.
"We have asked the ACT Greens to ensure support is provided to the individuals who have made these matters public. Other support services are available to members of the community who are distressed by this reporting," the pair said.
A complaint about Mr Davis' alleged sex with the 15-year-old was brought to the attention of Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury on Monday.
Mr Rattenbury then immediately commissioned an internal party investigation into the allegations which, if proven in court, would amount to criminal behaviour.
The Canberra Times understands the young person did not want to provide further evidence, which prompted the other person, who was 17 at the time of the alleged relationship with Mr Davis, to come forward.
Mr Davis has been accused of having a relationship with the 17-year-old two years ago, while he was a member of the Legislative Assembly.
The party has been provided with screenshots of text message conversations between Mr Davis and the 17-year-old, in which the pair discuss "hooking up" multiple times and the 17-year-old's age.
A relationship with a 17-year-old is not illegal, as the law allows a person of that age to consent, but is understood to be inconsistent with the party's expectations for a member of government.
Mr Davis' resignation would trigger a countback process to determine his replacement in the Legislative Assembly, distributing Mr Davis' preferences to the other candidates.
Laura Nuttall, a former staffer in Mr Davis' office, has been tipped as a likely winner in that process.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
