‘A bad call’: Greens rift deepens over Steele-John allegations

Jordon Steele-John, a Greens senator for Western Australia, has vehemently denied allegations against him and accused Greens leader David Shoebridge of making "a bad call" regarding the complaints. Steele-John released a six-page statement to the public after Nine newspapers reported that seven former and current party members demanded an investigation into allegations that he had acted inappropriately towards women between 2017 and 2025.

He stated that the complaints were not about "accountability" but rather "factionalism," and that an "unofficial faction" within the West Australian branch released the complaint letter to the media in an attempt to oust him from the Senate. Steele-John affirmed that he was not on leave, contradicting Shoebridge's claims, and alleged that he had been pressured by the leader to request leave on Thursday as the Nine story broke.

He also dismissed the nickname "feels on wheels," which stemmed from a period of emotional speeches regarding the disability royal commission when he was a younger senator. Steele-John further detailed three matters mentioned in the letter: a period of alleged sexual harassment at a Greens campaign party in 2024, which the authors did not specify, and a matter of "serious sexual misconduct" that was subsequently found without charges by the Western Australian police.