MP Darren Cheeseman ordered out of Victorian Labor for ‘inappropriate behaviour’

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has refused to reveal the specifics of allegations that have seen her dump Labor MP Darren Cheeseman twice in three days.

Darren Cheeseman has resigned from the Labor Party. Picture: Alan Barber

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has refused to reveal the specifics of allegations that have seen her dump Labor MP Darren Cheeseman twice in three days.

Mr Cheeseman resigned from the Labor Party just days after he was demoted following fresh allegations of “persistent and inappropriate behaviour” against staff.

The Premier removed Mr Cheeseman from his role as Parliamentary Secretary for Education on Friday, and on Monday cut him from the party altogether.

In a statement released on Monday night, Ms Allan said new information about further allegations had come to light and that she had asked Mr Cheeseman to resign from the party, a request he agreed to.

Mr Cheeseman, 47, was not seen in parliament on Tuesday but has voiced his intention to continue to serve as the member for South Barwon.

“A short while ago, I received a call requesting my registration (sic) from the parlia­mentary Labor Party. I have provided that,” he said in a statement.

“I will continue to serve the people of South Barwon as their MP. This is an incredibly distressing time for me and my family and I ask for our privacy to please be respected.”

Ms Allan said she was notified by her office late on Monday about the new information as she defended her initial decision to not remove Mr Cheeseman from the party on Friday.

“There is simply no room, no tolerance for this sort of behaviour within the government,” she said.

“And I want to be really clear that my focus too has been firmly on the safety and wellbeing of staff and it is in that context I asked the member for South Barwon to resign as a member of the parliamentary Labor Party.

She did not detail specifics of the allegations, but said they did not warrant a police referral.

“I’m simply not going to go into any matters that compromise the safety and wellbeing of the staff involved. They deserve the right to a safe workplace, they also deserve the right for their privacy to be respected.”

Ms Allan said the decision to initially demote Mr Cheeseman was in the context of “enforcing the ministerial code of conduct”.

Women’s Minister Natalie Hutchins backed the Premier’s decision and said women should feel safe in the workplace. “I’m glad he’s no longer sitting on our side of the bench,” she said.

Housing Minister Harriet Shing said the government must demonstrate that respect is ­“absolutely necessary”.

Opposition Leader John Pesutto said Mr Cheeseman should resign from parliament. “He is a disgraced public figure going by what the Premier has been saying over recent days,” he said.

“There is no possible way he can serve the people of South Barwon and I hope he considers his position … My view is he should resign from parliament, but that’s obviously a matter for him.”

Newly elected Greens leader Ellen Sandell said she had witnessed “appalling behaviour” from male MPs when she first started her career in parliament.

“Labor clearly has a problem. They lost two male MPs to inappropriate behaviour last year,” she said. “And one thing they could do is bring forward legislation for an integrity commission.”