Key facts
- Senator Jordon Steele-John denied agreeing to take leave from parliament.
- David Shoebridge stated his understanding was that Steele-John agreed to take leave.
- Misconduct allegations against Steele-John are being investigated by the WA Greens.
- Steele-John accused an internal Greens faction of playing "nasty political games".
- Shoebridge called an emergency federal party meeting on Monday.
Greens leader David Shoebridge stated it was his understanding that Senator Jordon Steele-John had agreed to take leave from parliament while misconduct allegations against him are investigated. This comes after Steele-John released a statement Sunday night claiming Shoebridge pressured him to take leave and accusing an internal faction of "nasty political games." Steele-John denied any misconduct and asserted he was not on leave and had not agreed to stay away from parliament. Following Steele-John's statement, Shoebridge called an emergency federal party meeting on Monday. A spokesman for Shoebridge stated after the meeting that it was his belief leave was appropriate and had been agreed, a position that differs from Shoebridge's initial statement last Thursday where he said Steele-John had requested leave and it was accepted.