Greens senator Jordon Steele-John steps back from NDIS Senate hearing amid
Steele-John has rejected secondhand allegations of inappropriate behaviour toward women between 2017 and 2025, and will skip the upcoming Senate inquiry into NDIS reforms.
David Shoebridge took over the Greens leadership earlier this month and immediately faced a crisis: a three-page letter urging him to investigate senator Jordon Steele-John. The allegations, reported by Nine newspapers, came from secondhand accounts that Steele-John had behaved inappropriately toward women over an eight-year span.
Steele-John, 32, initially agreed to take leave while an independent probe ran. But days later he rejected the accusations, denied agreeing to step back, and accused a faction within the WA Greens of playing "nasty political games" by leaking the letter to the media.
Shoebridge cannot force him out alone. Only a secret ballot with two-thirds support from the party room, more than seven members, could expel him.
Such a move would damage Steele-John's standing permanently, even if the investigation clears him. Steele-John confirmed Friday he will not attend Senate estimates next week, missing a chance to push the government on major NDIS reforms he has championed.
He explored testifying digitally but said that too was deemed unacceptable. The standoff leaves Shoebridge's new leadership in the spotlight as he navigates legal, political, and ethical questions.
- 32
- Steele-John's age
- 2017 to 2025
- Period of allegations
- More than seven party members
- Required expulsion votes
- Next week's estimates on NDIS
- Missing Senate event
Why it mattersThe handling of these allegations will define Shoebridge's early leadership and set the Greens' tone on misconduct claims.
AustraliaSteele-John's absence from Senate estimates means the Greens' strongest voice on disability policy will miss crucial debate on NDIS changes happening across the next decade.
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