Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John Accuses Party Leadership of 'Nasty Political Games'
Senator Jordon Steele-John has launched a public attack on his own party leadership, refuting misconduct allegations and claiming a factional campaign is underway to damage his reputation.
Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has accused his party's leadership, including newly elected Greens leader David Shoebridge, of orchestrating "nasty political games" against him and misrepresenting his status regarding leave from Parliament. In a lengthy open letter released Sunday, Steele-John denied claims of inappropriate behavior and asserted that he was not on leave, contrary to public statements.
Steele-John stated that Shoebridge pressured him to take leave as allegations against him surfaced. "I feel that he used those meetings to repeatedly pressure me to say that I would take leave," Steele-John wrote, expressing disappointment that the party leader "let me and my team down."
The senator claimed that a "political clique" within the Western Australian Greens was attempting to damage his reputation ahead of future preselections. He declared that the complaints process had been weaponized as part of an internal factional battle, stating, "That is not accountability. It is factionalism, and it has no place in the Greens."
This public response comes after seven Greens members reportedly wrote to Shoebridge demanding an investigation into multiple allegations concerning Steele-John between 2017 and 2025. Following these claims, Shoebridge had announced Steele-John would step away from the federal party room pending an independent investigation.
Steele-John also addressed the origin of a derogatory nickname, "feels on wheels," which had been a subject of questioning for Shoebridge. Steele-John explained the phrase initially emerged from other parties after he became emotional while speaking about disability issues and the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of Disabled People. He stated that the nickname later evolved into a more sinister meaning, mocking his disability and emotions by implying inappropriate treatment of women.
Regarding allegations linked to a 2024 Greens campaign event, Steele-John noted that he had not been provided with sufficient details to formulate a proper response, expressing concern over the lack of specificity.