Jordon Steele-John’s ex arrested on stalking charges as WA Greens inquiry begins

The former partner of Jordon Steele-John at the centre of inappropriate conduct allegations against the WA Greens senator will face a Perth court on Thursday after she was arrested and charged with aggravated stalking and attempted extortion.

WA Police confirmed family violence investigation squad detectives charged the 40-year-old woman on Wednesday, the same day that the WA Greens announced the beginning of its independent investigation into Steele-John.

Senator Jordon Steele-John in parliament before Greens members sent a letter to David Shoebridge. Alex EllinghausenThe woman’s relationship with Steele-John last year was cited in a letter sent last month to new Greens leader David Shoebridge by seven current and former Greens members and political staffers, urging him to investigate allegations about the WA senator’s inappropriate comments around women.

The woman accused Steele-John of removing a condom during sex without consent, an act known as stealthing. That claim was investigated by WA Police, but the inquiry was closed with no charges laid.

In response to the letter, Steele-John posted a 2400-word statement on Facebook, where he discussed their relationship and accused his ex-partner of being abusive as well as sending hundreds of messages.

The woman told this masthead that after Steele-John revealed he was seeing someone else, she had a “full-on meltdown” and sent a flurry of messages, but she denied harassment or making any threats.

The woman expressed her dismay at Steele-John’s Facebook post, which revealed intimate details of their relationship, and said she intended to take part in the WA Greens inquiry.

In November 2025, Steele-John was granted an interim restraining order, ex parte, against the woman. The order imposed a number of conditions, including that the senator not be harassed, intimidated or communicated with, and that the woman not approach closer than 10 metres.

After attempting to contest the interim family violence restraining order, the Perth woman and Steele-John settled out of court; nine months later, in September 2026, they consented to a conduct agreement order, which mirrored the interim restraining order.

Steele-John is on leave from parliament.

In a post to its website on Wednesday, the WA Greens announced the investigation was under way and anyone wanting to share information or their experiences should contact lead investigator Alison Humphry of Modern Legal, the law firm selected to run the inquiry.

The terms of reference of the Modern Legal investigation stated that it was a workplace investigation, with a prime focus to “conduct a rigorous fact-finding process regarding specific allegations of misconduct by Senator Steele-John”, it said.

Humphry has been tasked with establishing the timeline, nature, and specific details of alleged harassment, abuse, or inappropriate conduct involving Steele-John.

She will then determine whether they were isolated incidents or an “ongoing pattern of behaviour” and whether they breached parliamentary or party codes of conduct.

The terms of reference also include a probe into the Steele-John crisis communications document revealed by this masthead, as well as how the Greens handle complaints and whether this has blocked formal reports of problems within the party.

“Determine, based on evidence, whether complaints or disclosures were directed away from official channels, by whom, and on what basis (including any documented reasons, including evidence of cover-up or active dissuasion from complaining) or were otherwise improperly or inadequately handled,” it said.

“Assess whether parallel processes or informal practices created perceived or actual barriers to formal reporting, or discouraged individuals from seeking redress. Evaluate whether a culture of silence or cover-up was created, fostered, or facilitated.”

Anyone wanting to speak to Humphry has until November 11 to reach out.

The inquiry is slated to run for six weeks before the delivery of an interim report on the Steele-John allegations, and eight weeks for the final report.

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