Politics

Jordon Steele-John's future with the Greens remains in limbo

Marian ElleryPublished 11m ago2 min readBased on 7 sources
Jordon Steele-John's future with the Greens remains in limbo
Photo by Australian Greens / CC BY-SA 2.5 au

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John's position in the party remained in limbo more than a week after allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women made headlines, according to The Guardian.

The matter began to draw public attention in early October, when Nine newspapers reported that a three-page letter had been sent to David Shoebridge, the new leader of the federal Greens. The letter urged an independent investigation into Steele-John. It referred to second-hand allegations that the Western Australian senator had acted inappropriately towards women between 2017 and 2025. According to SMH reporting, the letter was sent by seven Greens members and officials, and it asked Shoebridge to take three steps, including commissioning an independent investigation into every allegation against Steele-John.

Shoebridge has announced that Steele-John would take leave while an independent probe into the claims takes place. Steele-John has rejected the allegations and denied he agreed to take leave from parliament. ABC News reported that Shoebridge nonetheless insisted the senator should take leave. Shoebridge maintains that Steele-John agreed to do so, but he has acknowledged that he alone does not have the power to force the senator to step aside.

Steele-John, who serves as the Greens' disability spokesperson, said he made a public statement about the letter's claims because he did not want his silence to be seen as guilt. He also accused an internal faction within the WA Greens of playing "nasty political games" by releasing the letter to the media.

Removing Steele-John from the party would require a two-thirds vote of the Greens party room, the group of the party's federal MPs and senators. The Guardian described this as more than seven members, voting to expel him in a secret ballot.

Shoebridge's handling of the matter is due to face scrutiny at Senate estimates, the committee hearings where senators question officials and ministers about their work, starting next Monday.

Related Articles