Senator Steele-John skips Senate week amid misconduct review

Jordon Steele-John will not attend Parliament next week, a decision that removes the Western Australian Greens senator from the chamber while an independent review of his conduct reaches its final stages.

The 32-year-old senator confirmed his absence after a public dispute with party leader David Shoebridge regarding his leave status. Shoebridge stated that he accepted Steele-John’s request for leave last week, a move prompted by seven party members who wrote to him urging an inquiry. Steele-John has denied agreeing to take leave, asserting instead that he is focusing on seeing the investigation through to its end.

The controversy intensified on Saturday when Steele-John deleted a social media post containing a three-page letter sent to Shoebridge on October 13. The letter, first published by the Nine newspapers, outlined multiple allegations of serious misconduct, including sexual harassment at a 2024 campaign event and another incident in 2025. In the deleted statement, Steele-John explained that he had seen the full letter circulating online and feared appearing to hide from it. He acknowledged that posting it may have been the wrong call, apologizing for the additional stress it caused.

The allegations have been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission and are under investigation by a panel commissioned by the WA Greens. The 2025 claim was raised by a former partner and investigated by Western Australian police. Police confirmed to Steele-John in May that the investigation was closed with no charges laid. The letter also referenced a disparaging nickname used for the senator, which its authors argued suggested a reputation for inappropriate behavior, while noting that an allegation is not a fact.

Steele-John rejected the claims in a statement on Sunday, accusing an unofficial faction within the WA branch of leaking the letter to remove him from the Senate. He described the situation as nasty political games and stated that any claims regarding his behavior should be investigated fairly and thoroughly. He noted that a precedent had been set for keeping parliamentarians away during such reviews.

The senator said he was told that joining Senate estimates virtually would also be unacceptable, reinforcing his decision to stay away. The independent investigation will continue to gather evidence before issuing its findings.