Australian Greens Senator Steele-John Confirms He Will Stay Away From Parliament as Independent Investigation Into Allegations Continues

Australian Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has confirmed he will not attend parliament next week. After days of confusion following historical complaints about alleged misconduct being publicly aired in the media, Steele-John posted a statement to social media late on Friday night. He also released a letter detailing the allegations against him.

In the statement, the Western Australian senator said he had considered attending Senate estimates virtually but was told that would be 'unacceptable'. Instead, he said, he will focus on seeing through an independent investigation to its conclusion.

'Over the past few days there has been a growing chorus calling on me not to attend parliament next week. I have explored attending digitally but have been informed that would also be unacceptable,' Steele-John said. He added that a precedent had now been set of keeping parliamentarians out of parliament after 'allegations of allegations' are made.

He also said: 'Had an allegation or complaint been made against me, I would have taken these actions immediately' — in other words, he argues he is being pushed into this position before any formal complaint has been lodged.

The 32-year-old senator's attendance in parliament for the remainder of the year had been uncertain after a public dispute with the party's leader, David Shoebridge, over whether he was on leave while an investigation was undertaken into allegations that he had acted inappropriately towards women between 2017 and 2025.

The complaints are now subject to an independent investigation commissioned by the WA Greens and have also been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission, so the matter is proceeding both inside the party and through the formal parliamentary standards process.

Shoebridge claimed Steele-John had requested leave and that he accepted it last week, after seven party members penned a letter to the leader urging an investigation into the claims.

The three-page letter, sent on 13 October and first published by the Nine newspapers, said the authors had been 'made aware of multiple allegations of serious misconduct' against Steele-John about his 'behaviour in the presence of women'.

The letter referred to an allegation of sexual harassment at a Greens campaign event in 2024 which the alleged victim had not reported out of fear and backlash, though it provided no further detail. In another passage, the authors referred to an allegation of 'serious sexual misconduct' in 2025.

The letter also contained a reference to a disparaging nickname for Steele-John, which the authors said implied he had a reputation for acting inappropriately. But the signatories were clear: 'To be clear, all signatories to this letter know that an allegation does not equate to a fact and/or guilt. We simply believe that it is in the party's best interests to ensure that every allegation is investigated thoroughly, in alignment with community and member expectations.'

Steele-John was defiant in a lengthy statement last Sunday, rejecting the allegations, denying he had agreed to take leave from parliament, and accusing an internal faction within the Greens of playing 'nasty political games' in the decision to release the letter to the media. He said any claims about his alleged behaviour should be investigated 'fairly and thoroughly', but accused an 'unofficial faction' within the WA branch of releasing the complaint letter to the media in a bid to oust him from the Senate.

Amid the dispute, another fact has emerged: WA police told Steele-John their investigation was closed in May with no charges. Attention now rests on the independent investigation and the Parliamentary Standards Commission process; until those conclude, his return to parliament remains uncertain.