Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has launched an extraordinary attack on his own party leadership, accusing newly elected Greens leader David Shoebridge of pressuring him to take leave and of mishandling allegations made against him.

In a lengthy open letter released on Sunday, Steele-John rejected claims about his conduct and blamed a ‘political clique’ within the Western Australian Greens for orchestrating a campaign against him.

Steele-John claimed he had become the target of ‘nasty political games’ within the Greens, accusing a ‘political clique’ of attempting to damage his reputation ahead of future preselections. 

He declared that he was never actually placed on leave, despite public statements suggesting otherwise.

‘I am not on leave and did not agree to the inclusion of that line within David’s statement,’ Steele-John wrote.

‘The Leader of the Australian Greens doesn’t have the power to place a Greens MP on leave from Parliament, the party or the formal Party Room.’

 Steele-John said Shoebridge had repeatedly pressured him to stand aside as the story was about to break.

‘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,’ Steele-John wrote.

Jordon Steele-John (pictured) has released a lengthy statement criticising David Shoebridge

‘On the morning the story was about to break, we had a series of meetings about how we would respond.’ 

‘I feel that he used those meetings to repeatedly pressure me to say that I would take leave.’

The public broadside comes after seven Greens members wrote to Shoebridge demanding an investigation into what they described as multiple allegations concerning Steele-John between 2017 and 2025.

The signatories claimed concerns about the senator had circulated within the Greens and beyond 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 said David Shoebridge (pictured) had no power to put him on leave as an MP 

Steele-John’s statement also addressed several claims that have circulated around Canberra and within Greens circles.

One involved the derogatory nickname ‘feels on wheels’, which Shoebridge was repeatedly questioned about during a press conference on Thursday.

Steele-John claimed the phrase originally emerged after he became emotional while speaking about disability issues 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.

He said the nickname later evolved into something more sinister.

‘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 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.’