CLP backbencher Tanzil Rahman needs to publicly explain the bullying allegations that were levelled against him by two female parliamentary staffers, independent MLAs and the Opposition have said, which follows the Chief Minister’s attempts to keep the “sensitive HR matter” secret, which she claimed was “out of respect for all parties”, despite the matter already being resolved.

The allegations were made late last year, while Mr Rahman was chair of Parliament’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs committee that was tasked with preparing the government’s report on Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation. That involved rushed public consultations across the Northern Territory on a tight deadline.

It was alleged by the two staffers that Mr Rahman was “rude” to them, “yelling, swearing, using that power imbalance between elected member and their staff”, the ABC reported a source had said. During travel, it was further alleged Mr Rahman “lost his shit” and was verbally abusive, treating the staffers “like his minions”.

Speaker Robyn Lambley, who managed the complaint as the public employment commissioner for the Department of Legislative Assembly, said on Mix 104.9 Wednesday that Mr Rahman should front the public to explain the situation. She specified she was speaking as the independent Member for Araluen and not the Speaker.

“If it was me that was under that spotlight for anything like this, you can’t hide forever,” Ms Lambley said.

“You’ve got to come out, you’ve got to explain yourself and subject yourself to the scrutiny of the public.

“People are interested in these sorts of things…scandals and allegations of this nature. In this day and age, we shouldn’t be talking about cases of bullying within the Legislative Assembly…it was of a very serious nature.

“It is very important that he face the music and talk to the media…about what’s happened.”

Independent Member for Johnston Justine Davis agreed the allegations against Mr Rahman were “deeply concerning”.

“No one should ever be subjected to abuse at work – ever,” she said.

“The allegations raised about Tanzil Rahman are deeply concerning. Every person who works in or around our Parliament, elected members and staff, has the right to a safe and respectful workplace.

“Parliament should not be exempt from basic standards of conduct. In fact, it should model them.”

She added she will be moving a motion calling for “stronger anti-bullying protections within Parliament, including clear, independent reporting pathways and safeguards for everyone in this building”.

Mr Rahman has not publicly commented on the allegations, which were first revealed by the ABC on Monday.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro attempted damage control on radio Monday, stating she was not aware of the accusations until “well after the fact” and does not know how the matter was resolved.

She would not say if she spoke directly to Mr Rahman about the allegations and claimed it was a “really sensitive HR-type” matter that “can’t be ventilated in the public domain”, despite it being resolved.

Ms Finocchiaro added she accepted there were “very high expectations” on Members of Parliament, but that “people can have confidence” the matter was resolved somehow, in a way that was not divulged to her.

Opposition Labor Leader Selena Uibo, who previously called on Ms Finocchiaro to explain what she knew about the allegations and what action she took, said on Wednesday that Mr Rahman also needs to publicly explain what happened.

“The Member for Fong Lim was elected to represent his community, which also requires him to be accountable for his actions,” she said.

“A safe workplace for all is non-negotiable, and these allegations go directly to that standard. Right now, under Lia Finocchiaro and her CLP Government, those standards are being called into question.”

Ms Uibo added that Ms Finocchiaro also needed to explain why she awarded Mr Rahman an assistant minister role last week.

Ms Lambley previously said the matter was resolved to the staffers’ satisfaction after a meeting of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee that she called to discuss the allegations.

Details of how the situation was resolved have not been disclosed. Mr Rahman later vacated his chair role with the LCAC late last year.

It is unclear how Ms Finocchiaro managed the situation as the leader of government or if she took any action against Mr Rahman. Her office did not respond to questions on Wednesday.