WA Greens Senator Stees-John to Skip Parliament Over Misconduct Inquiry

Jordon Steele-John, the Australian Greens senator for Western Australia, will not attend parliament next week as he faces an ongoing investigation into allegations of misconduct. The 32-year-old politician confirmed his absence after publicly apologizing for sharing a confidential internal letter that detailed the claims against him. He has maintained that he denies all accusations, which span a period from 2017 to 2025.

The situation escalated over the weekend when the senator removed a social media post containing a three-page letter. This document, originally sent to Greens leader David Shoebridge earlier this month, outlined multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women. Steele-John stated he shared the letter because he believed it was circulating online and wanted to avoid appearing evasive. He later admitted uncertainty about that decision and expressed regret for any additional stress it caused.

In a statement posted late Friday night and subsequently deleted, the senator explained that he had considered joining Senate estimates hearings virtually. However, he was informed that remote participation would also be considered unacceptable. He noted a growing call from colleagues for him to stay away and argued that a precedent had been set for keeping parliamentarians out during such reviews. He emphasized that he would have taken the same steps immediately if a formal complaint had been filed against him.

The dispute over his status had been brewing for weeks. Shoebridge previously stated that Steele-John had requested leave, which was accepted after seven party members urged an investigation. The senator has denied agreeing to take leave, leading to a public disagreement over whether he was officially on leave during the inquiry period. This conflict left his attendance for the remainder of the year in doubt until his recent confirmation.

The allegations are now under review by an independent investigation commissioned by the Western Australian Greens. The matter has also been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission. The original letter, dated October 13 and first reported by the Nine newspapers, stated that the authors were aware of multiple claims regarding the senator's behavior in the presence of women.

One specific claim involved sexual harassment at a Greens campaign event in 2024. The letter noted that the alleged victim had not reported the incident due to fear of backlash, though no further details were provided in the document. Another allegation referred to serious sexual misconduct in 2025. Steele-John indicated that this claim was raised by a former partner and had been investigated by Western Australian police, who closed the case in May with no charges laid.

The letter also highlighted a disparaging nickname for the senator, described as a reputation for inappropriate behavior. The authors stressed that an allegation does not equate to guilt and argued that thorough investigation was in the party's best interest. In a lengthy statement last Sunday, Steele-John rejected the claims and accused an unofficial faction within the state branch of leaking the letter to the media. He described the situation as playing nasty political games and insisted that any claims should be investigated fairly and thoroughly.