In short:
The WA Greens maintained a crisis communications document for years in the event that complaints against Jordon Steele-John were made public.
asserted
complaints → maintain → John
Senator Steele-John has rejected concerns raised against him in a letter by Greens members to leader David Shoebridge.
asserted
John → reject → Shoebridge
The letter did not contain any specific allegations.
asserted
letter → contain → allegations
Senator Shoebridge says an independent investigation will be conducted.
asserted
investigation → say → ?
Members of the WA Greens maintained a crisis communications document on how to respond if concerns about senator Jordon Steele-John were made public.
asserted
concerns → maintain → John
The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that since 2016 WA Greens staff kept a 47-page document with methods to manage media coverage of any allegations made about Senator Steele-John, and instructed staff to monitor social media discussions by party members.
asserted
staff → report → members
Greens leader David Shoebridge denied any previous knowledge of the document, saying he understood it be "from some seven years ago".
asserted
it → deny → document
"I was not aware of the document and I was not aware of the allegations," he told the ABC.
asserted
he → tell → ABC
Yesterday the same outlet reported that a number of current and former Greens members had written to Senator Shoebridge asking him to investigate concerns regarding Senator Steele-John's behaviour towards women.
asserted
number → report → women
The letter said women had been warned "not to be alone" with the senator and alleged there were "multiple" concerns about his behaviour "in the presence of women" spanning his career in parliament.
asserted
women → say → parliament
No specific allegation has been made against Senator Steele-John, who has said "utterly" rejects "this characterisation of me".
asserted
who → make → me
Senator Shoebridge said none of the authors of the letter "asserted to any direct knowledge of the matters involved".
asserted
none → say → matters
"And of course that creates some additional complexity in dealing with it, but the matters concerned are taken seriously," he told ABC News Breakfast.
asserted
he → create → Breakfast
"The best way of dealing with this is a fair, an independent and a timely process commissioned by the WA Greens."
asserted
way → deal → Greens
In a statement, the co-convenors of the WA Greens said it "responded to allegations about Jordon Steele-John in 2016".
asserted
it → say → 2016
"The allegations were not substantiated and the named persons have never lodged a formal complaint."
asserted
persons → substantiate → complaint
"Reference has been made to an internal document that has been provided to the media.
asserted
that → make → media
The document outlines the management of communications about this matter.
asserted
document → outline → matter
Leader's office denies knowledge
The ABC has confirmed the existence of the crisis communications document, which names several federal Greens members, including senior staff in the leader's office.
asserted
which → deny → office
The Greens leader's office has denied previously seeing the document and says it has no record of ever receiving it.
asserted
it → deny → it
"This is not a document made by, used by or seen by the leader's office," a spokesperson for the office said.
"
asserted
spokesperson → make → office
The office is committed to having the matters comprehensively investigated with a fair, independent and timely process.
asserted
matters → commit → process
"Everyone deserves a safe workplace, and all complaints should be considered in a fair and robust process."
asserted
complaints → deserve → process
A senior staffer named in the document confirmed they had searched their record and found no record of the document ever being sent, shared or accessed by them.
asserted
document → name → them
Party members say it is not unusual for a document to identify individuals in the federal party as points of contact.
asserted
document → say → contact
It is also standard for Greens senators to receive media training from the leader's office, as Senator Steele-John did when he entered parliament.
asserted
he → receive → parliament
Senator Steele-John has taken a leave of absence and will not attend parliament while the investigation is underway.
asserted
investigation → take → parliament
"I utterly reject this characterisation of me, which tries to assert I am someone I am not," he said in a statement on Thursday.
asserted
he → reject → Thursday
"These claims are made without specifics, any allegation of this nature is extremely serious and must be treated accordingly.
uncertain
allegation → make → nature
If someone has made an allegation, I am prepared to address it."
asserted
I → make → it
Senator Shoebridge said he did not know of the complaints until two weeks ago.
asserted
he → say → complaints
"I knew absolutely nothing until assuming this position as leader, and then when I received the correspondence I acted with what I think is timely and appropriate urgency," he said.
asserted
he → know → correspondence
The Aporia
