Greens leader Adam Bandt has refused to say whether he will discipline his WA senator Dorinda Cox, following allegations of bullying in her office.

Nine newspapers has published a claim that 20 staff have left Senator Cox’s office in three years, with several lodging complaints about a culture of bullying.

The ABC has not independently seen the complaints.

Senator Cox has responded to the media reports in a statement, acknowledging her office can present “challenging circumstances both politically and personally”.

Mr Bandt held a tense press conference in Perth, deflecting questions about whether he would act on the allegations.

He said the complaints had been forwarded to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS), an independent service for parliamentary staff set up in the wake of a damning review of Parliament House culture.

“Our approach is that anytime any staff member comes to me or comes to my team with an issue, we take it very seriously, and we support them to take that complaint through the independent PWSS process,” Mr Bandt said.

“That’s what’s happened here.”

Asked whether he should have acted in 2021 after allegedly receiving a copy of one complaint, Mr Bandt again referred to the PWSS process.

“We’ve seen in the past that often when staff members bring matters forward, including to others in their party, those matters haven’t been treated properly or fairly,” he said.

“What we want is any complaint that gets brought forward against anyone should be looked at independently.”

Asked whether he had received any information from the PWSS that would require action, Mr Bandt cited privacy concerns.

“Any other questions?” Mr Bandt asked at one point.

“If recommendations come out of this body … and they make certain findings, then of course, of course, we will take these on board.”

Senator Cox, a Yamatji-Noongar woman who entered the Senate in 2021, did not attend the press conference.

In a statement, she said she was proud of her team and the “hard-working people that have been part of it since my election in 2022.”

“I have continued to work respectfully and collaboratively with my colleagues and team, and will continue to work to incorporate a holistic work life balance to our offices,” the statement said.

“I continue to be very grateful to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service for the work they do in helping offices across the country, including mine, despite what can be challenging circumstances both politically and personally.”