Three-Page Letter Details Allegations Against Steele-John Spanning 2017 to 2025

Australian Greens senator Jordon Steele-John will not attend parliament next week as an independent investigation examines allegations that he behaved inappropriately toward women between 2017 and 2025. The 32-year-old Western Australian denied all claims against him.

The dispute centers on a three-page letter dated 13 October that Steele-John posted to social media on Saturday before removing it. The correspondence, sent to Greens leader David Shoebridge, called for an investigation. Steele-John said he took the post down after learning the full letter was circulating online. "I'm now not sure that was the right call and I've taken it down. I am really sorry for any additional stress it caused," he said.

The letter cites an allegation of sexual harassment at a Greens campaign event in 2024 that the alleged victim did not report for fear of backlash, and an allegation of serious sexual misconduct in 2025. Steele-John said the second claim came from a former partner and was investigated by Western Australian police, which closed the matter in May with no charges laid. The authors of the letter also referenced a disparaging nickname for the senator, "feels on wheels," which they said suggested a reputation for inappropriate behavior, while noting that "an allegation does not equate to a fact and/or guilt."

In a statement posted late Friday night and since deleted, Steele-John said he had considered attending Senate estimates virtually but was told that would be unacceptable. He pointed to what he called a growing chorus urging him to stay away and argued that a precedent had been set for excluding parliamentarians over "allegations of allegations." He added, "Had an allegation or complaint been made against me, I would have taken these actions immediately."

Whether Steele-John was on leave became a public disagreement with Shoebridge. Shoebridge said Steele-John requested leave and that he granted it last week, after seven party members wrote asking for an investigation. Steele-John has denied agreeing to take leave.

The complaints are now under independent investigation commissioned by the WA Greens and have been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission. Steele-John previously accused an unofficial faction within the WA branch of leaking the letter to the media in an effort to remove him from the Senate, describing the effort as playing nasty political games.