A former Australian Public Service commissioner and Medicare chief executive has been appointed to lead an independent review of the way allegations against Johnathan Davis were handled.
Speaker Joy Burch announced the appointment of Lynelle Briggs on Tuesday, a week after the Legislative Assembly agreed to terms of reference for the review.
"I am pleased to confirm the appointment of Ms Lynelle Briggs to the role of independent reviewer. Ms Briggs has extensive, first-hand experience in the field of public administration with a focus on professionalism, integrity and governance and has conducted a number of highly sensitive and complex inquiries and reviews," Ms Burch said.
Ms Burch said she was confident Ms Briggs' experience in roles related to integrity, administration and governance would be of benefit to the Assembly.
The Legislative Assembly last week agreed to an inquiry that would appoint an independent reviewer "with extensive experience in public administration, governance, or integrity matters" and produce a public report.
The review is expected to consider the appropriateness of Mr Rattenbury's handling, and the decisions taken by Greens minister Emma Davidson.
The review will invite submissions from MLAs and their staff and will "not make findings about the substance of allegations concerning Mr Davis, recognising the criminal investigation or other proceedings may yet occur".
Mr Davis resigned from the Legislative Assembly late on November 12, after The Canberra Times reported the then 31-year-old had been stood down by his party while it investigated allegations he had sex with a minor and an inappropriate, but not illegal, relationship with a 17-year-old.
Through a lawyer, Mr Davis has declined to comment on all allegations put to him.
Greens leader Shane Rattenbury had called for a broader review to consider Assembly workplaces and whether appropriate supports were in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff.
Mr Rattenbury wrote to Chief Minister Andrew Barr after further allegations were reported in The Canberra Times that Mr Davis made unwanted sexual advances towards an 18-year-old staffer in the Legislative Assembly.
"Based on the report, there appears to be no indication that this staff member was under the age of 18. There does however appear to be a significant age and power gap between Mr Davis and the staff member," Mr Rattenbury wrote.
"It is crucial that we collectively learn from this experience and improve our reporting mechanisms, policies and practices to limit conduct which could be inappropriate or harmful to Legislative Assembly staff or the wider community."
Mr Barr rejected the need for a wider review, expressing confidence the Legislative Assembly had taken action in response to relevant reviews in other parliaments, including the landmark Jenkins Review of Federal Parliament.
"Based on this we believe the appropriate course of action is for the independent review to be targeted to the matter at hand and completed promptly," Mr Barr wrote.
"At the conclusion of the independent review, if there are any relevant findings or learnings recommended, they will be applied more broadly across the Assembly as necessary."
