The Greens have a serious problem with hypocrisy - and the allegations against Jordon Steele-John have exposed it: PVO

Read the original at Daily Mail ↗
Cite

Onselen, P. v. (2026, October 19). The Greens have a serious problem with hypocrisy - and the allegations against Jordon Steele-John have exposed it: PVO. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16219409/The-Greens-problem-hypocrisy-allegations-against-Jordon-Steele-John-exposed-PVO.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-19 · by Peter van Onselen

Quick Summary

The article discusses how the Greens are being accused of hypocrisy regarding their handling of sexual misconduct allegations against Senator Jordon Steele-John. While they call for procedural fairness and an independent investigation into Steele-John's case, it highlights inconsistencies in their previous demands for immediate action when similar allegations were made against other politicians. Specifically, it contrasts their current approach with their earlier stance on Christian Porter’s rape allegation, where the Greens demanded confidence in the government be lost immediately due to the hanging sexual assault allegation against him. The piece also points out that internal documents suggest the Western Australian Greens had a detailed communications plan to manage how Steele-John's allegations were handled, which contradicts their public stance against politicizing such issues.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-19, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

As of October 19, Greens senator Jordon Steele-John denies allegations of inappropriate behavior towards women from 2017 to 2025. On October 15, Steele-John took leave from the party room after a letter from seven current and former party members demanded an investigation into the claims. However, on October 18, Steele-John released a statement saying he was not actually on leave and accused Greens leader David Shoebridge of mishandling the situation by pressuring him to take leave. The complaints are now being investigated independently by the Western Australian Greens and referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission. An emergency federal party meeting was called on October 19 due to Steele-John's statement, highlighting internal divisions within the party.

Written for “Greens Senator Leave Amid Allegations” on 2026-10-19, grounded in this article and the 12 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans strongly right (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans strongly right for article 89924 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-19

Story

📰 Greens Senator Leave Amid Allegations
Politics · 13 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly right and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
How to kill a story: The secret dossier the Greens used to protect Steele-John different event · 95%
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 7% hedged 6 of 85 📰 publisher trust 61
“The articles discuss related issues concerning Senator Jordon Steele-John but describe different aspects and times: Article A focuses on a secret dossier and crisis communications strategy, while Article B critiques the Greens' hypocrisy regarding procedural fairness.”
Steele-John probe should examine Greens processes, publish key findings: WA MPs different event · 95%
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 11% hedged 2 of 19 📰 publisher trust 61
“While both articles discuss the Steele-John probe within the Greens party, they describe different aspects and contexts: Article A focuses on WA MPs urging public release of findings, while Article B critiques the party's handling of the allegations.”
Jordon Steele-John says ‘I’m not on leave’ and accuses Greens leader of making ‘bad call’ regarding complaints same event · 95%
The Guardian
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 33 📰 publisher trust 67
“Both articles discuss Jordon Steele-John's response to allegations and the Greens' handling of the situation at the same time.”
Australian Greens senator denies claims of misconduct towards women same event · 95%
BBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 50% hedged 6 of 12 📰 publisher trust 69
“Both articles refer to the same Australian Greens senator denying misconduct allegations towards women and discuss similar timeline and denial of a sexual assault allegation investigated by police.”
David Shoebridge responds to Jordon Steele-John’s explosive statement as Greens hold emergency meeting different event · 95%
The Guardian
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 14 📰 publisher trust 67
“The articles discuss different aspects of the same broader situation involving Jordon Steele-John and misconduct allegations against him, but they do not describe the same specific incident.”
Greens leader denies knowledge of ‘secret dossier’ on how to handle Jordon Steele-John misconduct allegations different event · 90%
The Guardian
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 11% hedged 2 of 18 📰 publisher trust 67
“Article A discusses David Shoebridge's denial of knowledge about a 'secret dossier', while Article B comments on the hypocrisy of The Greens' stance regarding Jordon Steele-John's allegations, without mentioning the specific document.”
Jordon Steele-John says he has been falsely accused of inappropriate conduct same event · 90%
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 23 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles discuss Senator Jordon Steele-John denying allegations of inappropriate conduct towards women and mention an internal Greens investigation.”
Greens insiders break cover to demand public findings in Steele-John inquiry different event · 90%
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 2 of 40 📰 publisher trust 61
“While both articles discuss the allegations against Senator Jordon Steele-John and calls for an independent investigation, they describe different aspects of the situation—one focuses on insiders demanding public findings, while the other critiques the party's hypocrisy in handling the allegations.”
Breaking: Greens senator takes leave amid allegations of comments towards women different event · 85%
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 7 📰 publisher trust 68
“Article A reports on Senator Steele-John taking leave from the party room amid allegations, while Article B discusses the Greens' response to the allegations and Steele-John's denial.”
‘Leave means leave’: Greens senator to stay away from parliament during investigation different event · 85%
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 24% hedged 5 of 21 📰 publisher trust 61
“Article A reports on Senator Jordon Steele-John's decision to take leave from parliament during an investigation, while Article B discusses broader issues of hypocrisy within the Greens party and provides context for Steele-John's allegations.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
32
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
2 of 32 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
64/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
13
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Clarifications and corrections

Who wrote this

Peter van Onselen
18 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 In June 2021, Larissa Waters declared Australians could not have confidence in the government while a minister remained in Cabinet with a rape allegation hanging over him.
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · The Greens have a serious problem with hypocrisy - and the allegations against Jordon Steele-John have exposed it: PVO
🔮 And the uncomfortable truth for a government searching for someone to blame is that getting rid of either one would do precious little to absolve the other of the same fate: 'They're tied at the hip now.'
2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Despairing Team Albo's morale crisis. As 'people lose faith', Labor insiders put forward a tempting suggestion: get rid of Jim Chalmers: PETER VAN ONSELEN
🔮 Perhaps small businesses should forget navigating government departments and simply ask for Albanese's mobile number? He even supplied the dialogue: 'It is in hand, I agree with what you are saying and I will get it done.' One man.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · PETER VAN ONSELEN: Anthony Albanese's two versions of events - as the PM takes credit for ATO backflip before insisting it wasn't his doing
🔮 Which allows for the possibility that his next chapter could be better than his last.
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Sneering critics want Oliver Curtis forever defined by his jail stint. Tall poppies of Australia, here's a newsflash for you: PVO
🔮 Anika Wells' people said they would come back to me about her explanation for a birthday party trip in December 2025.
2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Earth to Albo: Anika Wells has got to go. Diary revelation about 'meeting' at birthday party must - surely - be the final straw: PETER VAN ONSELEN
🔮 If it didn’t pass on the surcharge costs now that Labor has banned them, the ATO would have been forced to absorb a $200 million cost.
2026-10-09 · assertive framing · Albo celebrating getting rid of card surcharges with a cutesy video. Now the law of unintended consequences (and pure incompetence) has bitten him and Jim Chalmers on the bum: PETER VAN ONSELEN
🔮 Over Labor’s first four years in office, revenue gushed in at $400.8billion above what was forecast before the 2022 election.
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · This economist, Richard Holden, has put a number on Albo's big spend that's fuelled inflation: $105billion. So, ask yourself... what lasting improvement has it made to Australia? PETER VAN ONSELEN
🔮 If implemented, it would be a serious change of policy direction for the nation.
2026-10-06 · assertive framing · There's a big issue with Coalition's Johnny-come-lately plan to slash immigration: they helped create this problem, says PETER VAN ONSELEN
🔮 The outgoing deputy publicly expressed disappointment at the result, declining to seek her old job and declaring that she will pursue radical action outside 'the constraints of the leadership team'.
2026-10-02 · assertive framing · The Greens chose the worst possible option as their leader. Even Mehreen Faruqi would've made a lot of sense: PETER VAN ONSELEN
🔮 It wouldn't guarantee an immediate rate cut.
2026-09-30 · assertive framing · Katy Gallagher's infuriating comment confirms ugly truth about our economic nightmare: Albo wants you to slash your family budget - so he doesn't have to lay a finger on his: PVO
Also by Peter van Onselen
Despairing Team Albo's morale crisis. As 'people lose faith', Labor insiders put forward a tempting suggestion: get rid of Jim Chalmers: PETER VAN ONSELEN
2026-10-15 · Daily Mail
PETER VAN ONSELEN: Anthony Albanese's two versions of events - as the PM takes credit for ATO backflip before insisting it wasn't his doing
2026-10-14 · Daily Mail
Sneering critics want Oliver Curtis forever defined by his jail stint. Tall poppies of Australia, here's a newsflash for you: PVO
2026-10-13 · Daily Mail
Earth to Albo: Anika Wells has got to go. Diary revelation about 'meeting' at birthday party must - surely - be the final straw: PETER VAN ONSELEN
2026-10-12 · Daily Mail
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 18 articles by Peter van Onselen →

Topics

Australians Cabinet Greens Liberals the WA Greens

Subjects

Greens ORG · 8× Waters PERSON · 3× Cabinet ORG · 2× Jordon Steele-John PERSON · 2× Larissa Waters PERSON · 2× Porter PERSON · 2× Steele-John PERSON · 2× Australians NORP · 1× Christian Porter PERSON · 1× David Shoebridge PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Senator Jordon Steele-John (pictured) denied any wrongdoing and rejected the allegations about his conduct towards women Now Greens leader David Shoebridge declines a ‘running commentary’ while an independent process examines concerns about his colleague.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-19
🔮 In June 2021, Larissa Waters declared Australians could not have confidence in the government while a minister remained in Cabinet with a rape allegation hanging over him.
2026-10-19 · Daily Mail
The Greens have a serious problem with hypocrisy - and the allegations against Jordon Steele-John have exposed it: PVO · assertive framing

Claims (32 extracted, 2 hedged)

The Greens have discovered natural justice. asserted
Greens → discover → justice
Apparently it was hiding underneath their stack of media releases demanding accountability from everybody else. asserted
it → hide → everybody
With Senator Jordon Steele-John facing allegations about his conduct towards women, suddenly the vocabulary is wonderfully careful: procedural fairness, independent investigation, proper process. asserted
vocabulary → face → women
Steele-John denies wrongdoing and deserves a fair hearing. asserted
John → deny → hearing
He says police investigated one sexual assault allegation and laid no charges. asserted
police → say → charges
None of this establishes his guilt, clearly. asserted
None → establish → guilt
But it does provide a useful opportunity to examine the Greens’ spectacularly selective appetite for restraint. asserted
it → provide → restraint
In June 2021, Larissa Waters declared Australians could not have confidence in the government while a minister remained in Cabinet with a rape allegation hanging over him. uncertain
allegation → declare → him
Porter denied the allegation. asserted
Porter → deny → allegation
Yet the allegation itself was sufficient for Waters to pronounce no confidence in the entire government. asserted
Waters → pronounce → government
Senator Jordon Steele-John (pictured) denied any wrongdoing and rejected the allegations about his conduct towards women Now Greens leader David Shoebridge declines a ‘running commentary’ while an independent process examines concerns about his colleague. asserted
process → picture → colleague
How convenient that political restraint becomes such a prized virtue when the microphone is pointed at your own party. asserted
microphone → become → party
To be fair, the Greens demanded an independent inquiry into Porter, too. asserted
Greens → demand → Porter
Although the allegations against him were historical dating back more than 30 years. asserted
allegations → date → years
The hypocrisy lies in the accompanying political prosecution: opponents must answer immediately for everything an allegation supposedly reveals about their character, leadership and party culture. asserted
allegation → lie → character
Their own side gets careful qualifications. asserted
side → get → qualifications
In March 2021, Waters accused Scott Morrison of treating sexual violence and misogyny as ‘another PR problem to be managed away’. asserted
Waters → accuse → problem
A Cabinet reshuffle, she argued, would merely shuffle the problem around. asserted
she → argue → problem
Now we learn the WA Greens maintained a crisis communications document about concerns involving Steele-John. asserted
Greens → learn → John
According to reports the document ran to 47 pages and included instructions for managing coverage and monitoring party members’ social media discussions. uncertain
document → accord → discussions
That is quite a commitment to managing communications from a party so disgusted by other people managing communications. asserted
That → manage → communications
The WA Greens say the historical allegations were unsubstantiated and the named people never lodged formal complaints. asserted
people → say → complaints
Shoebridge says he had no prior knowledge of the document. asserted
he → say → document
Greens leader Larissa Waters (pictured) has previously pronounced a no confidence in the entire government over a rape allegation however has a different approach to allegations thrown at a fellow party member What was examined? asserted
What → picture → member
Why was a communications plan required? asserted
plan → require → ?
What would Waters have said had this document belonged to the Liberals? asserted
document → say → Liberals
Steele-John is entitled to defend himself. asserted
John → entitle → himself
Complainants are entitled to have concerns properly examined. asserted
concerns → entitle → ?
Fairness requires both. asserted
Fairness → require → both
But the Greens can’t spend years turning other parties’ scandals into sermons about their own moral superiority, then complain when somebody checks beneath the pulpit. asserted
somebody → spend → pulpit
What happened to the ‘all victims should be believed’ principle? asserted
victims → happen → principle
The Greens keep treating it like a membership benefit you only get if you join their political party. asserted
you → treat → party
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