Australian Greens senator Jordon Steele-John denied claims of inappropriate conduct and disputed party leader David Shoebridge’s account of his leave as Greens (WA) considers how to establish an independent inquiry.
Nine Newspapers reported that a letter from seven Greens members raised concerns about Steele-John’s conduct when women were present, covering the period from 2017 to 2025. The letter itself was not made public in the reporting cited here.
ABC News reported that the letter did not set out specific allegations. The network also said Shoebridge told it that the signatories did not claim firsthand knowledge of the events behind the allegations.
Steele-John said the letter reached Shoebridge’s office a day after the party settled a timetable for its next preselection. He called the timing “no coincidence” and alleged the letter was meant to influence candidate selection. That motive has not been independently corroborated.
The Guardian reported Shoebridge said he had accepted a request for leave and expected Steele-John to stay away while inquiries proceeded. Steele-John said he was not on leave and had not approved the leave reference in Shoebridge’s statement.
ABC News separately reported that it had confirmed the existence of an internal Greens communications document concerning earlier allegations. Greens (WA) said allegations it addressed in 2016 were not substantiated and that the people named had not made formal complaints. The Guardian said it had not independently confirmed the document’s contents.
In an Oct. 15 statement, Greens (WA) said it would consult lawyers about establishing an independent inquiry and called for complaints to be handled fairly and independently. The branch did not say when the inquiry process would begin.
