Seven Greens members urged an inquiry before a parliamentary standards referral
Western Australian Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has confirmed that he will not attend parliament next week as allegations that he acted inappropriately toward women between 2017 and 2025 are examined. The 32-year-old senator said in a social media statement posted late Friday night that he would focus on seeing an independent investigation through to its conclusion. In addition to the statement, Steele-John released a letter detailing the allegations against him.
Steele-John said he had considered taking part in Senate estimates digitally but had been told that would be “unacceptable.” “Over the past few days there has been a growing chorus calling on me not to attend parliament next week. I have explored attending digitally but have been informed that would also be unacceptable,” Steele-John said.
He also said the situation set a precedent for keeping parliamentarians out of parliament after “allegations of allegations” were made, adding that he would have taken the same steps immediately if an allegation or complaint had been made against him.
Before his statement, Steele-John’s attendance for the remainder of the year had been uncertain after days of confusion following historical complaints about alleged misconduct being aired publicly. The dispute involved Greens leader David Shoebridge and whether Steele-John was on leave while an investigation into his alleged behavior was underway. Shoebridge claimed that Steele-John had requested leave and that Shoebridge accepted the request the previous week after seven party members wrote to the leader urging an investigation.
The three-page complaint letter was sent on 13 October and first published by the Nine newspapers. It said the seven signatories had been “made aware of multiple allegations of serious misconduct” against Steele-John concerning his “behaviour in the presence of women.” The signatories said they wanted every allegation investigated thoroughly. “We simply believe that it is in the party’s best interests to ensure that every allegation is investigated thoroughly, in alignment with community and member expectations,” the letter’s authors wrote.
One part of the letter referred to an allegation of sexual harassment at a Greens campaign event in 2024. The letter said the alleged victim had not reported the incident out of fear and backlash, and it provided no further detail.
The letter also referred to an allegation of “serious sexual misconduct” in 2025.
The document additionally mentioned the disparaging nickname “feels on wheels,” which its authors said implied that Steele-John had a reputation for acting inappropriately. The signatories emphasized that the letter did not establish guilt. “To be clear, all signatories to this letter know that an allegation does not equate to a fact and/or guilt,” they wrote.
The complaints are now subject to an independent investigation commissioned by the WA Greens and have been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission. Guardian Australia also reported that WA police told Steele-John the police investigation had closed in May with no charges.
In a lengthy statement last Sunday, Steele-John rejected the allegations, denied that he had agreed to take leave and accused an internal faction within the Greens of playing “nasty political games.” He said any claims about his behavior should be investigated “fairly and thoroughly.” Steele-John alleged that an “unofficial faction” within the WA branch released the complaint letter to the media in an effort to oust Steele-John from the Senate.
Steele-John’s confirmed absence applies to next week while the complaints remain under the party-commissioned investigation and parliamentary standards referral. The complaint signatories said an allegation does not establish fact or guilt, while Steele-John continues to reject the allegations.