Greens senator Jordon Steele-John posted a lengthy open letter on Instagram on October 18, detailing the breakdown of a relationship with a Perth woman who he said responded to the break-up by sending more than 700 messages and making 56 phone calls over 55 hours. Steele-John said he took out a restraining order against her and claimed she had threatened to destroy his reputation.
Speaking to this masthead, the woman said she was shocked to see such private information posted publicly. "I never consented to having such intimate details of my life made public, nor to having strangers discuss them. If he thinks it will make me feel too ashamed to speak up, well, he really doesn't know who I am," she said. She denied making threats and said she had only sent messages after discovering Steele-John was seeing another person.
Steele-John wrote that the relationship started in May 2025 and ended in late September 2025, and that it was never exclusive because he was in a polyamorous relationship with another woman. He stated that he did not tell her because of her "frightening behaviour". The woman provided a voice memo sent by Steele-John on October 2, 2025, in which he appears to contradict that account, saying: "I did think that we were in an exclusive relationship, so what I'd done is cheat on you." She said monogamy was a non-negotiable condition for her because she was on immunosuppressants and concerned about STIs.
An interim family violence restraining order was granted against the woman in November 2025. After she attempted to contest it, the matter was settled out of court, and the pair consented to a conduct agreement order in September 2026, with no admission of domestic violence and no finding against her.
Steele-John also wrote that the woman reported him to police for sexual assault, alleging he removed a condom without consent, a practice known as stealthing. Police investigated and closed the case with no charges. The woman told this masthead she believes the condom was removed during their last sexual encounter on September 6, 2025, and that she found it across the room.
The woman's experiences were cited in a letter signed by seven current and former Greens staffers and members, handed to new Greens leader David Shoebridge, alleging Steele-John had acted inappropriately toward women. Steele-John published the full text of that letter on Instagram on October 25, but after widespread criticism he deleted the post and apologised.
Approached for comment, Steele-John said he had been advised by Western Australian police not to comment.