Steele-John absent from NDIS estimates as Greens weigh two-thirds vote

Jordon Steele-John will not appear at Senate estimates this week, leaving the National Disability Insurance Scheme without its designated spokesperson during a period of major policy transition. The Western Australian senator is scheduled to sit out the session where officials are questioned on government performance.

The absence follows a dispute that began more than a week ago after Nine newspapers reported a three-page letter calling for an independent investigation. The letter detailed secondhand allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women between 2017 and 2025. David Shoebridge, the federal Greens leader, initially announced that Steele-John would take leave while the probe examined the claims.

Steele-John has rejected the allegations and stated he did not agree to take leave. He accused an internal faction of the Western Australian Greens of playing political games by releasing the letter to the media. He explained that he spoke publicly to prevent his silence from being interpreted as guilt.

Shoebridge maintains that the senator agreed to the leave, but he acknowledges he cannot compel compliance alone. To force the senator to step aside, the party requires a secret ballot in which more than seven members vote to expel him. This threshold represents two-thirds of the party room. Such a move is considered drastic and would damage Steele-John's standing even if the independent investigation clears him.

In a statement issued late on Friday, Steele-John said he had explored attending the estimates digitally but was informed that this option was also unacceptable. He stated he would instead focus on the independent and timely investigation he hopes will soon commence in his home state.

The situation has drawn attention to how the new Greens leadership handles misconduct. The party prides itself on consensus decision-making, meaning Shoebridge needs broad support to pursue expulsion. The decision will reflect on his leadership as much as on the party's internal processes.

There are no immediate winners in the dispute. Whether the allegations were raised for advantage in state pre-selection remains part of the picture, though rumors have followed the senator throughout his time in office. Standing aside during the investigation would have been the simpler course, according to some observers.