Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has accused his own party of playing political games and publicly contradicted leader David Shoebridge over claims he had taken leave amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women.
The West Australian senator, 32, released a six-page statement on Sunday night denying wrongdoing and accusing an internal Greens faction of attempting to damage his political career ahead of party preselections.
The statement follows a letter signed by seven current and former Greens members calling for an investigation into allegations concerning his behaviour towards women between 2017 and 2025.
Senator Steele-John said he was not on leave, despite Senator Shoebridge announcing last Thursday that his colleague had requested time away from the party room.
“It was a bad call from David. We’ve all made those in politics,” Senator Steele-John said.
“So, to be clear, I am not on leave and did not agree to the inclusion of that line within David’s statement.”
The senator alleged he had been repeatedly pressured by his leader to step aside as the complaints became public.
Senator Shoebridge previously told reporters he had accepted his colleague’s request for leave and insisted the allegations would be investigated through a fair and independent process.
The conflicting accounts come as the WA Greens prepares an independent investigation into the complaints, which have also been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.
Senator Steele-John accused an “unofficial faction” within the party’s WA branch of leaking allegations to influence upcoming preselections.
He said the timing of the letter, which arrived shortly after discussions about the next preselection timetable, raised concerns about its political motivation.
“This is not accountability. It is factionalism, and it has no place in the Greens,” he said.
The senator also addressed reports of a derogatory nickname, “Feels on wheels”, which he said initially referred to his emotional speeches about disability issues before acquiring an implication of inappropriate behaviour towards women.
He rejected that implication.
Senator Steele-John also addressed an allegation of sexual assault, which he denied, saying a police investigation had concluded without charges being laid against him.
He said he had experienced domestic violence in a former relationship and had been working with WA Police over the alleged abuse.
Those accounts have not been independently established.
The controversy intensified after reports emerged of a 47-page internal Greens crisis communications document, first drafted in 2016, concerning how the party would respond to allegations about the senator.
The WA Greens has acknowledged the existence of a communications document relating to historical allegations, which it said were not substantiated.
A WA Greens spokesperson said the party was establishing an independent process to assess the allegations and would not comment further while that process was being arranged.