West Australian senator Jordon Steele-John has openly accused a “clique” within the Greens of orchestrating a pre-selection smear campaign and his new party leader of letting him down in the wake of allegations about his conduct towards female colleagues.
In a written explanation addressing the allegations that surfaced against him this week, Senator Steele-John shared there was no mystery about the timing of the information being made public.
He also offered graphic detail about the serious sexual misconduct allegations which he says stems from a former partner.
“It is no coincidence that the letter arrived at the Leader’s Office the day after we agreed on the timeline for the next pre-selection,” he wrote.
“It is my opinion that this is an attempt to influence forthcoming party pre-selections by deliberately leaking out of context or misleading information to smear potential candidates and myself.”
Senator Steele-John, who denied the allegations, posted a statement to his social media on Sunday evening which claimed the Federal Greens’ new leader David Shoebridge had “let him down” by announcing the WA Senator had taken leave.
“It was a bad call from David,” he wrote.
“I had explained to him that the only complaint that had been made was by my abuser and as an experienced lawyer I had expected him to recognise that absent any specific allegations, there was no procedural need for me to take leave of any kind.
“I told him I would likely need some time at some point to look after myself, my team and my family, but I asked him, more than once, not to announce that I had requested leave, because I knew it would read as validating a story where there isn’t one.
“So, to be clear, I am not on leave and did not agree to the inclusion of that line within David’s statement ... I will continue to do my job in a way that supports my staff team, my family and my community.”
Senator Steele-John said his leader had “repeatedly” pressured him to say he would take leave during meetings between the pair before the allegations came to light.
“I very much understand the tremendous scrutiny David was under in his first week in Parliament as leader, and I have compassion for that,” the WA Senator said.
“I also feel that he let me and my team down.”
Senator Steele-John has taken a leave of absence from the Parliament and partyroom after the allegations emerged on Thursday, but he denies the claims that were made between 2017 and 2025.
Complaints and allegations from both inside and outside the party were outlined in a letter sent to Greens leadership on Tuesday evening by seven staffers and party members.
The allegations have been referred to the WA branch of the party for independent investigation.
In his online statement, Senator Steele-Johns also addressed his “Feels on wheels” nickname - declaring it harked back to his early days in Parliament when he would become emotional during speeches about the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability, and was not in reference to his alleged treatment of women.
“Caring deeply about these subjects is something I consider a professional strength, and mocking this trait by tying it to my disability is an example of the kind of ableism and discrimination I continue to face in my workplace,” he said.
“I was informed that this phrase, which mocked my disability and my emotions, had taken on a new, more sinister meaning; that I had treated women inappropriately.”
Senator Shoebridge said the complaints in the letter were taken “extremely seriously” and that Senator Steele-John had “indicated” he was on leave.
“When matters like this are raised, they require a fair, an independent, and a timely process for them to be dealt with,” Senator Shoebridge said.
Senator Steele-John wrote he was “concerned” to learn of an allegation of sexual harassment at a 2024 Greens Party campaign event and opened up about an alleged serious sexual misconduct complaint, which he says stems from a former partner.
“When I ended things, she refused to accept that there wasn’t someone else. My new relationship, which is polyamorous, was not the reason for the breakup, but after days of sustained pressure, I told her about my partner,” he claimed.
“Over the next 55 hours, she attempted to call me 56 times and sent over 700 messages containing violent, abusive and pornographic text, audio and imagery. She began sending “invoices” for “Companionship & Care Services” demanding $12,000, itemised with things like “Patience & tolerance levy”, “Cancellation/stonewalling/silent treatment admin fee, as well as the cost of a new tattoo, hairstyle, and holiday.
“I did not pay the ‘invoice’ and the complaint was made.”
Senator Steele-Johns claims the complaint referred to WA Police.
“The report made to the police was of sexual assault — that I had, on multiple occasions, removed condoms without her knowledge while she was on top, facing me. This is just not true,” he said.
“I volunteered to be interviewed and spent hours answering every question — including detailing which sex positions are possible for me as a disabled man.
“After that, I was informed that the investigation was closed with a finding of no charges.
“I had hoped to be able to share off of this when I was ready, but because of a political clique in Greens WA and a leader facing his first serious test of leadership, I feel that the silence of self-preservation will be (and has been) perceived as the silence of guilt.”