WA Greens Crisis Communications Document Revealed Amid Allegations Against Senator Jordon Steele-John

A 47-page crisis communications document, reportedly maintained by Western Australian Greens members since 2016, outlined methods to manage media coverage of any allegations made about Senator Jordon Steele-John. The document instructed staff to monitor social media discussions by party members.

Greens Leader Denies Prior Knowledge

Greens leader David Shoebridge denied any previous knowledge of the document, saying he understood it to be "from some seven years ago".

"I was not aware of the document and I was not aware of the allegations," he said.

The existence of the document was made public after current and former Greens members wrote to Senator Shoebridge asking him to investigate concerns regarding Senator Steele-John's behaviour towards women. The letter alleged that women had been warned "not to be alone" with the senator and claimed there were "multiple" concerns about his behaviour "in the presence of women" spanning his career in parliament.

Investigation Underway

Senator Shoebridge said none of the authors of the letter "asserted to any direct knowledge of the matters involved".

"And of course that creates some additional complexity in dealing with it, but the matters concerned are taken seriously," he said. "The best way of dealing with this is a fair, an independent and a timely process commissioned by the WA Greens."

Senator Steele-John has taken a leave of absence and will not attend parliament while the investigation is underway. He has stated that he "utterly rejects" the characterisation of him, saying "These claims are made without specifics, any allegation of this nature is extremely serious and must be treated accordingly. If someone has made an allegation, I am prepared to address it."

Leader's Office Denies Knowledge of Document

A spokesperson for Senator Shoebridge's office said the office had no record of ever receiving the document and had not seen it. The office is committed to having the matters comprehensively investigated with a fair, independent and timely process.

"This is not a document made by, used by or seen by the leader's office," the spokesperson said. "Everyone deserves a safe workplace, and all complaints should be considered in a fair and robust process."

A senior staffer named in the document confirmed they had searched their record and found no record of the document ever being sent, shared or accessed by them.