Зүүний намын сенатор Жордон Стийл-Жон өөрт нь холбогдох ёс зүйн зөрчлийн асуудлаар бие даасан мөрдөн шалгах ажиллагааг дуустал парламентын хуралд оролцохгүй байхаар шийджээ.
Сенатор Жордон Стийл-Жон өнгөрсөн долоо хоногт гарсан ёс зүйн зөрчлийн талаарх мэдээллийн дараа ирэх долоо хоногийн парламентын хуралд оролцохгүйгээ баталгаажуулсан байна. Тэрээр Сенатын тооцооллын хуралд цахимаар оролцох боломжийг судалсан ч энэ нь хүлээн зөвшөөрөгдөх боломжгүй гэсэн хариу авчээ. Үүнтэй холбогдуулан сенатор бие даасан мөрдөн шалгах ажиллагааг эцэслэхэд анхаарлаа хандуулахаа мэдэгдэв.
Баруун Австралийн Зүүний намаас томилсон бие даасан мөрдөн шалгах комисс болон Парламентын стандартын бие даасан комисс (Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission) 2017-2025 оны хооронд эмэгтэйчүүдийн эсрэг зохисгүй үйлдэл гаргасан байж болзошгүй гэх гомдлуудыг хянан шалгаж байна. Намын гишүүдийн зүгээс 10 дугаар сарын 13-нд илгээсэн захидалд 2024 онд болсон сонгуулийн арга хэмжээний үеэрх бэлгийн дарамт болон 2025 оны бусад ёс зүйн зөрчлийн асуудлыг дурджээ.
Стийл-Жон уг мэдэгдлүүдийг үгүйсгэж, намын дотоод фракцууд өөрийг нь Сенатаас гаргахын тулд улс төрийн тоглолт хийж байна гэж буруутгав. Тэрээр өөрт нь холбогдох гомдлыг шударгаар, бүрэн дүүрэн шалгахыг хүсэж байгаагаа илэрхийлсэн юм. Баруун Австралийн цагдаагийн газраас 5 дугаар сард уг асуудлыг ямар нэгэн ял оногдуулахгүйгээр хаасан болохыг Guardian Australia баталсан байна.
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Jordon Steele-John has confirmed he will not attend parliament next week as the embattled Greens senator releases a letter detailing the allegations against him.
After days of confusion following historical complaints about alleged misconduct were publicly aired in the media, Steele-John posted a statement to social media late Friday night.
In the statement, the Western Australian senator said he considered attending Senate estimates virtually but was told it would be “unacceptable”. He will instead focus on seeing through an independent investigation to its conclusion, he said.
“Over the past few days there has been a growing chorus calling on me not to attend parliament next week. I have explored attending digitally but have been informed that would also be unacceptable,” Steele-John said.
Steele-John said a precedent of keeping parliamentarians out of parliament after “allegations of allegations” are made had now been set.
“Had an allegation or complaint been made against me, I would have taken these actions immediately,” he said.
The 32-year-old senator’s attendance in parliament for the remainder of the year had been uncertain after a public stoush with the party’s leader, David Shoebridge, over whether he was on leave while an investigation was undertaken into allegations he had acted inappropriately towards women between 2017 and 2025.
The complaints are now subject to an independent investigation commissioned by the WA Greens and have been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.
Shoebridge claimed Steele-John had requested leave and he accepted it last week after seven party members penned a letter to the leader urging an investigation into the claims.
The three-page letter sent on 13 October, and first published by the Nine newspapers, said the authors had been “made aware of multiple allegations of serious misconduct” against Steele-John about his “behaviour in the presence of women”.
The letter referred to an allegation of sexual harassment at a Greens campaign event in 2024 that the alleged victim had not reported out of fear and backlash. The letter provided no further detail.
In another, the authors referred to an allegation of “serious sexual misconduct” in 2025.
Also contained in the letter was a reference to a disparaging nickname for Steele-John – “feels on wheels” – which the authors said implied he had a reputation for acting inappropriately.
“To be clear, all signatories to this letter know that an allegation does not equate to a fact and/or guilt. We simply believe that it is in the party’s best interests to ensure that every allegation is investigated thoroughly, in alignment with community and member expectations,” the letter’s authors wrote.
Steele-John was defiant in a lengthy statement last Sunday, rejecting the allegations against him, denying he agreed to take leave from parliament and accusing an internal faction within the Greens of playing “nasty political games” in their decision to release the letter to the media.
Steele-John said any claims of his alleged behaviour should be investigated “fairly and thoroughly” but accused an “unofficial faction” within the WA branch had released the complaint letter to the media in a bid to oust him from the Senate.
Guardian Australia has confirmed the WA police told Steele-John the investigation was closed in May with no charges.
