Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has launched a fierce public criticism of his party’s leadership, alleging that newly elected Greens leader David Shoebridge pressured him to take leave and mishandled allegations made against him.
In a detailed open letter published on Sunday, Steele-John rejected the claims about his conduct and accused a “political clique” within the Western Australian Greens of mounting a campaign against him.
The 32-year-old senator said he had been caught up in “nasty political games”, claiming efforts to undermine him were linked to upcoming preselections and intended to damage his reputation.
Steele-John’s statement sought to respond to a number of claims and rumours that had circulated in Canberra and among Greens members.
One issue centred on the insulting nickname “feels on wheels”, a phrase Shoebridge faced repeated questions about at a press conference on Thursday.
Steele-John said the term first emerged after he became emotional while speaking about disability rights and the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of Disabled People.
“‘Feels on wheels’ is a name that members of other parties started using to refer to me after I became emotional early in my career while giving speeches about the Royal Commission,” he wrote.
According to the senator, the phrase later acquired a more troubling interpretation.
Jordon Steele-John (pictured) has issued a lengthy statement criticising David Shoebridge
“Eventually, 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.”
Steele-John also disputed the suggestion that he had been placed on leave, saying no such arrangement had ever been agreed.
“I am not on leave and did not agree to the inclusion of that line within David’s statement,” Steele-John wrote.
He argued that the Greens leader did not have the authority to remove a Greens MP from Parliament, the party or the formal party room.
Steele-John further alleged that Shoebridge had repeatedly urged him to step aside as media coverage of the allegations was about to emerge.
“I very much understand the tremendous scrutiny David was under in his first week in Parliament as leader, and I have compassion for that. I also feel that he let me and my team down,” he wrote.
Steele-John said the pair held several meetings on the morning the story was due to break to discuss the party’s response.
“I feel that he used those meetings to repeatedly pressure me to say that I would take leave.”
Steele-John said David Shoebridge (pictured) did not have the authority to place him on leave as an MP
The extraordinary public dispute follows a letter from seven Greens members to Shoebridge calling for an investigation into what they described as multiple allegations involving Steele-John between 2017 and 2025.
The signatories said concerns about the senator’s conduct had circulated both within the Greens and outside the party.
The allegations prompted Shoebridge to announce Steele-John would step away from the federal party room while an independent investigation was established.
The senator repeatedly suggested the complaints process had been weaponised as part of an internal factional battle linked to future preselection contests.
‘It is my opinion that this is an attempt to influence forthcoming party preselections by deliberately leaking out of context or misleading information to smear potential candidates and myself,’ he wrote.
‘That is not accountability. It is factionalism, and it has no place in the Greens.’
Steele-John also addressed allegations relating to a 2024 Greens campaign event, saying he had not been provided with any details and therefore could not properly respond.
‘I’m really concerned to read this,’ Steele-John wrote.
‘No details were provided in the letter, so unfortunately, at this point, I don’t know how I could respond.’
Steele-John also commented on a 2025 complaint alleging serious sexual misconduct.
Steele-John said the complaint stemmed from a relationship with a woman whom he alleges later became abusive after learning about his current partner in what he described as a ‘polyamorous’ relationship.
‘When I ended things, she refused to accept that there wasn’t ‘someone else’,’ he wrote.
‘My new relationship, which is polyamorous, was not the reason for the breakup.’