ACT Greens backbencher Johnathan Davis will resign from the party and the parliament after he was stood down over misconduct allegations.

Davis was stood down indefinitely last week after two complaints described by an ACT Greens spokesperson as “sexual in nature” were made against him.

Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said on Sunday night Davis had told him of his intention to resign, and will provide a letter to the Speaker informing her of the decision.

“The ACT Greens take the conduct of our MLAs seriously and believe Canberrans should rightly expect the highest standards of behaviour, integrity and accountability from our representatives and members in office,” he said in a statement.

He said while there has been no formal finding made by any authorities, the intimate information shared about Davis’s personal life caused “immense community concern”, and the ACT Greens party room supported his decision to resign from office.

“We recognise that the reporting of these events may have caused distress to members of the community, and encourage people to reach out to services to receive support,” he said.

Police confirmed on Friday they received a referral in relation to the matter.

In a joint statement, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Deputy Minister Yvette Berry said the allegations were “very serious”.

“These are very serious allegations against a sitting MLA and do impact his ability to undertake his role,” they said.

They asked the ACT Greens to ensure support was provided to the individuals who made the matters public and said services were available to members of the community who were distressed.

Davis is the member for the southern ACT seat of Brindabella and was elected to the territory’s Legislative Assembly in 2020.

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beyondblue 1300 22 4636

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578

-AAP