--- title: "Greens rift deepens over Steele-John conduct allegations" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/greens-rift-deepens-over-steele-john-conduct-allegations" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/greens-rift-deepens-over-steele-john-conduct-allegations" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/greens-rift-deepens-over-steele-john-conduct-allegations.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/greens-rift-deepens-over-steele-john-conduct-allegations" category: "Politics" published: "2026-10-19T07:45:29.406Z" source_reported: "2026-10-19T07:21:27.000Z" updated: "2026-10-19T07:45:29.406Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 75 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-19T07:45:14.902112+00:00" --- # Greens rift deepens over Steele-John conduct allegations *Senator denies allegations and claims he is not on leave, contradicting party leader* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to named bodies, with one outlet quoting a police statement and another citing a dossier. - Craft 75 of 100, higher is better. Reporting clearly separates fact from comment and includes details on the investigation and police involvement. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headlines focus on the deepening rift and allegations, with some sensationalism in the framing. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Greens leader David Shoebridge said Senator Jordon Steele-John agreed to take leave while an investigation into conduct allegations proceeds. - Steele-John released an open letter denying allegations and stating he was not on leave, contradicting Shoebridge. - Seven Greens members wrote to Shoebridge expressing concerns about allegations against Steele-John between 2017 and 2025. - Steele-John stated WA Police interviewed him regarding a sexual assault complaint but denied the allegations, and the investigation was closed without charges. A dispute has emerged within the Greens party regarding allegations of misconduct against Senator Jordon Steele-John. Greens leader David Shoebridge stated that Steele-John had agreed to take leave during an independent investigation into the allegations. However, Steele-John released an open letter denying the claims and asserting he was not on leave, directly contradicting Shoebridge's statement. ## Disagreement over leave status Shoebridge initially stated last Thursday that Steele-John had chosen to take leave. In response, Steele-John posted a lengthy open letter on social media on Sunday night. In this letter, he stated he was not on leave and described Shoebridge's comment as "a bad call" that would be read as validating a story where there was no substance. A spokesperson for Shoebridge later stated that the leader understood leave had been agreed and reiterated his opinion that leave was appropriate under the circumstances. ## Allegations and police investigation The investigation was initiated after seven Greens members wrote to David Shoebridge between 2017 and 2025 expressing concern over multiple allegations against Steele-John. Reports also indicated the existence of a 47-page dossier cataloguing allegations and suggesting strategies for managing media coverage. Steele-John addressed a reference in the letter to a 2025 complaint involving him and a former partner. He stated he was interviewed by WA Police regarding a complaint of sexual assault, specifically stealthing, but denied the allegations. Steele-John said the police investigation was closed without charges being laid. WA Police declined to comment on whether an investigation took place. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated digests mention that senior Labor Senator Don Farrell offered to mediate internal Greens issues. None of the right-rated digests mention that seven Greens members wrote to David Shoebridge expressing concern over allegations against Steele-John between 2017 and 2025, nor do they mention the existence of a 47-page dossier cataloguing allegations. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (4) - Centre: 16% (1) - Right: 17% (1) 0 of 6 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-19T07:45:14.902112+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-19T08:15:18.278Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports from The Age, Brisbane Times, and Sydney Morning Herald highlighted the deepening rift within the Greens over the allegations. The Age and Sydney Morning Herald focused on "Greens insiders" who came forward to demand public findings in the inquiry, with two of the seven signatories to the letter to David Shoebridge speaking out. Crikey's report focused on the broader issue of how parliament investigates politicians accused of misconduct, using the Steele-John allegations as a case study. ### Centre - WA Today, the centre-rated outlet, led with Greens leader David Shoebridge's insistence that Jordon Steele-John agreed to take leave during an investigation, directly contradicting the senator. This report detailed Steele-John's open letter denying allegations and his claims about the WA Police investigation into a sexual assault complaint, which he stated was closed without charges. ### Right - The right-rated report from The West Australian highlighted that senior Labor Senator Don Farrell offered to mediate internal Greens issues amid the Jordon Steele-John scandal. This digest noted Steele-John had released a statement denying allegations of inappropriate conduct. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 5 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Brisbane Times](https://brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/a-bad-call-greens-rift-deepens-over-steele-john-allegations-20261019-p616ly.html) — ‘A bad call’: Greens rift deepens over Steele-John allegations - [WA today](https://watoday.com.au/politics/federal/a-bad-call-greens-rift-deepens-over-steele-john-allegations-20261019-p616ly.html) — ‘A bad call’: Greens rift deepens over Steele-John allegations - [Crikey](https://crikey.com.au/2026/10/19/jordan-steele-john-misconduct-allegations-greens-investigation) — The Jordan Steele-John allegations and the issue with parliament investigating politicians - [The West Australian](https://thewest.com.au/politics/federal-politics/senior-labor-senator-don-farrell-offers-to-mediate-greens-internal-row-amid-jordon-steele-john-allegations-c-23040226) — Labor’s offer for Greens amid Jordon Steele-John scandal - [Sydney Morning Herald](https://smh.com.au/politics/federal/greens-insiders-break-cover-to-demand-public-findings-in-steele-john-inquiry-20261019-p616hn.html) — Greens insiders break cover to demand public findings in Steele-John inquiry - [The Age](https://theage.com.au/politics/federal/greens-insiders-break-cover-to-demand-public-findings-in-steele-john-inquiry-20261019-p616hn.html) — Greens insiders break cover to demand public findings in Steele-John inquiry ## Questions **What are the allegations against Jordon Steele-John?** While the specific allegations are not detailed in the reports, seven Greens members wrote to David Shoebridge expressing concern over multiple allegations against Steele-John between 2017 and 2025. Steele-John himself addressed a complaint of sexual assault (stealthing) made by a former partner, which he denied. **Did Jordon Steele-John agree to take leave?** Greens leader David Shoebridge stated that Steele-John agreed to take leave during an investigation into his conduct. However, Steele-John released an open letter denying this, stating he was not on leave and calling Shoebridge's comment "a bad call." **Was there a police investigation into Steele-John?** Steele-John stated he was interviewed by WA Police regarding a complaint of sexual assault (stealthing) but denied the allegations. He said the investigation was closed without charges. WA Police declined to comment on whether an investigation took place. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/greens-rift-deepens-over-steele-john-conduct-allegations. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Greens rift deepens over Steele-John conduct allegations", https://mediabias.news/politics/greens-rift-deepens-over-steele-john-conduct-allegations