15/10/2026
Damn. This really sucks.
Jordon Steele-John has been one of the strongest voices in federal politics for people with disability, and in my view a decent representative for the Greens.
Which makes this difficult.
Seven current and former Greens staffers and members have written to party leader David Shoebridge raising allegations about Steele-John’s behaviour around women over a period stretching from 2017 to 2025.
Steele-John has rejected the characterisation, says he is prepared to address any specific allegation put to him, and has referred the matter for an independent process.
He has also requested leave from the Greens party room.
Shoebridge accepted it. And to his credit, I think Shoebridge has handled this initial stage properly. He hasn’t declared Steele-John guilty. He also hasn’t shrugged and hoped the whole thing quietly disappears into committee paperwork.
He has recognised that the allegations are serious enough to require space, scrutiny and an independent process.
Leadership in moments like this is not pretending you already know the answer. It is making sure the process has room to work without the party closing ranks around one of its own.
The allegations themselves are serious. So is procedural fairness.
An allegation is not a finding of guilt, but neither should multiple women raising concerns be brushed aside because the person involved is someone you happen to like or respect politically.
And that is the uncomfortable bit.
It is very easy to demand standards from politicians we already dislike. The real test is whether we apply the same standard when the person involved is somebody whose work, we have admired.
I have thought Steele-John has been excellent on disability rights and the NDIS. I have also thought he represented the Greens well.
None of that makes these allegations less deserving of proper investigation.
I hope the women involved have strong support around them while this process plays out.
I also hope Steele-John is afforded the same procedural fairness we would expect in any serious matter.
Take it seriously, support the people involved, and let the process do its job.
