Greens senator skips Senate as misconduct probe continues

Three pages of confidential text triggered a formal review of Senator Jordon Steele-John's conduct, a process that will now continue while he stays away from the federal parliament floor.

The Western Australian Greens lawmaker confirmed on Saturday that he will not attend parliament next week. He issued an apology for publicly releasing the letter, which had been sent to party leader David Shoebridge earlier in October.

The document, dated October 13, outlined claims that Steele-John behaved inappropriately toward women between 2017 and 2025. Among the specific complaints was an accusation of sexual harassment at a campaign event in 2024. The letter stated the alleged victim had not reported the incident at the time due to fear of backlash.

Steele-John removed the social media post containing the full letter on Saturday afternoon. He said he had seen the document circulating online and wanted to avoid the appearance of hiding from it. "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 complaints are currently under independent investigation by the WA Greens. They have also been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission. Steele-John, who is 32, said he will focus on seeing that investigation through to its conclusion.

His absence follows a dispute with Shoebridge regarding his leave status. Shoebridge stated that Steele-John requested leave, which was accepted last week after seven party members urged an inquiry. Steele-John has denied that he agreed to take leave, noting in a deleted Friday statement that he had considered attending Senate estimates virtually but was told that option was unacceptable.

The senator rejected all claims in a lengthy statement last Sunday. He accused an unofficial faction within the WA branch of leaking the letter to the media to remove him from the Senate, describing the move as nasty political games.