The Greens created and maintained a secret 47-page dossier cataloguing allegations against Senator Jordon Steele-John and detailing strategies to shut down media coverage and monitor party members who raised concerns on social media, according to reporting published Friday by Nine newspapers.
The dossier, stored in a Google Drive folder accessible to Western Australian and national Greens staff for nearly a decade, was first drafted in 2016 and updated in the years since, reports from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and WA Today said. It was compiled before Steele-John was appointed to the Senate in 2017.
The document describes ways to kill stories about the senator, and instructs taxpayer-funded Greens staff to monitor social media and take screenshots of comments by party members. Four former Greens staffers confirmed the dossier was real and was used by the WA Greens and the national leader's office to manage coverage.
The reporting also reveals that a senior Greens official resigned after Steele-John was reinstated as WA branch volunteer co-ordinator, despite two women lodging complaints alleging he made inappropriate remarks while working with them.
Steele-John took leave from the Greens party room on Thursday after leader David Shoebridge received a letter from seven active members demanding an independent investigation into allegations that the WA senator made multiple inappropriate comments to women over the past decade.
The allegations and the existence of the dossier raise serious questions about how the party handled complaints internally, and about the use of taxpayer-funded staff for political monitoring activities.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The revelations strike at the Greens' credibility on workplace conduct, an issue the party has championed in parliament.
- The use of taxpayer-funded staff to monitor social media for political purposes could have implications for parliamentary entitlements.
- The party now faces pressure to conduct an independent investigation, as demanded by the letter from seven members.
Background
The Greens have long positioned themselves as a progressive force on gender equality and workplace safety. Senator Steele-John, a disability advocate, has been a prominent figure in the party. The dossier, drafted years before he entered parliament, suggests the party was managing allegations well before he became a senator. The details of the complaints themselves have not been fully published, but the letter from members has prompted his leave.
Key Perspectives
The Greens leadership: Party leader David Shoebridge received the letter and Steele-John took leave, indicating an acknowledgment that the allegations need to be addressed. The party may argue that the dossier was a standard crisis management tool, not an attempt to cover up misconduct.
The seven members who signed the letter: They are demanding an independent investigation, suggesting they do not trust the party to self-police. Their action signals internal unrest and a desire for transparency.
Critics and observers: The existence of a dossier designed to suppress media coverage could be seen as a deliberate attempt to protect a powerful figure at the expense of complainants. The use of taxpayer-funded staff for such monitoring may be viewed as an abuse of public resources.
What to Watch
- The response from Shoebridge and the Greens' national office: will they agree to an independent investigation?
- Any further reporting on the contents of the dossier, including specifics of the allegations and the monitoring instructions.
- Potential scrutiny of the use of taxpayer-funded staff, possibly by parliamentary authorities or the opposition.
- Whether Steele-John returns to the party room and under what conditions.