Chief Minister Andrew Barr says a review into the Greens' handling of allegations levelled at one of its MLAs revealed a series of misjudgements and his junior coalition partner's decisions had the potential to erode community's confidence in coming forward to make a complaint.
Mr Barr said he was sorry a young complainant at the centre of the allegations against Johnathan Davis experienced considerable distress while the issue played out publicly last year.
"I am sorry this occurred, and my thoughts are with the young person and anyone else who has been negatively affected by this very difficult situation," he said.
Greens leader Shane Rattenbury on Tuesday also said he deeply regretted the young person had felt traumatised by the way he was treated.
"We apologise that that is the impact that it's had on him. That was never our intention," Mr Rattenbury said.
Mr Barr said the way the Greens handled the complaint had the potential to erode community confidence.
"We all work hard in the Assembly to ensure that victims of crime, particularly crimes of a sexual nature, feel supported in coming forward with complaints," he said.
"I hope that all Members, especially the Greens MLAs, will support our collective efforts to improve public confidence in the Assembly's support mechanisms for members of the public who may need to make a complaint about the behaviour of sitting members."
Mr Barr said he supported the recommendations made by Lynelle Briggs, who was tasked with inquiring into the way allegations levelled at Johnathan Davis were handled in October and November last year.
Mr Davis was accused of having an inappropriate, but not illegal, sexual relationship with a 17-year-old boy and was alleged to have had sex with a 15-year-old.
"I expect that any political party dealing with such an unfolding nightmare would have struggled to know exactly what to do and when to do it, but maybe they would likely have had a stronger eye on managing the risks and the fallout," Ms Briggs wrote.
Mr Davis, who has declined to comment on all allegations, resigned on November 12 from the Greens and as a member of the Assembly.
The Canberra Times had revealed two days earlier Mr Davis was stood down by his party over the allegations.
Labor and the Greens had a significant public disagreement after the allegations against Mr Davis were made public in November.
Mr Rattenbury said Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry's statement expressing concern at the way the Greens had handled the allegations, issued late on November 12 was "highly inappropriate" and that he was "dismayed".
Ms Berry had said it was "troubling" complainants had felt the need to go public and that Labor had "many questions" over the Greens' approach.
Ms Briggs wrote in her review: "In the circumstances, I don't think that the Greens have breached the [parliamentary and governing] agreement, but it is clear that they have not acted in the spirit of the agreement and have certainly stretched the friendship."
Mr Barr on Tuesday acknowledged the finding the Greens did not breach the agreement but said the party's communication "left a lot to be desired".
The Chief Minister also said the government would also seek clarification from the territory's head of service, Kathy Leigh, on whether Greens leader Shane Rattenbury and Greens minister Emma Davidson breached the ministerial code of conduct.
"I note the report's finding that it is doubtful that Minister Davidson or Minister Rattenbury breached the Ministerial Code of Conduct. To remove any doubt, the Government will seek further independent clarification from the ACT's Head of Service. We will also refer the Report and the findings to the Assembly's Commissioner for Standards," Mr Barr said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
"There were, plainly, a series of misjudgements on the behalf of the ACT Greens and these should be acknowledged. There are recommendations in the report that go to the ACT Greens policies and practices. I expect that the Greens Party will commit to implementing these recommendations as soon as possible."
Mr Barr said the review had resulted in a much clearer picture of the circumstances that led to Mr Davis' resignation, and he thanked Ms Briggs for the "comprehensive, independent" review.
"The report includes a number of recommendations regarding the Assembly's Child Safety Code of Conduct and Policy, the Code of Conduct for all members of the Assembly and the Assembly's victim support arrangements for people reporting inappropriate behaviour by Members. I support these recommendations and will work with the Speaker and other parties to implement these recommendations as soon as possible," he said.
"The report makes observations that there is 'no shortage of advice, and independent advice in particular, in the ACT Legislative Assembly'. It is incumbent on all members and their staff to understand and trust these arrangements to ensure that we meet the very high community expectations for how sensitive matters are treated by elected members."
