Woman charged over alleged stalking and attempted extortion of Greens senator Jordon Steele-John
News Source
β’Wed, 04 Nov 2026 11:07:10 GMT
π° What Happened
A 40-year-old woman has been charged over the alleged stalking and attempted extortion of Greens senator Jordon Steele-John. Western Australian police say detectives from the family violence squad charged her on Wednesday. Police will allege she is a former partner of the senator.
She faces one count of aggravated stalking with intent to intimidate and one count of demanding property by written threats, which is extortion. She was due in a Perth magistrates court on Thursday. Steele-John's office says he will not comment further.
π The Backstory
Steele-John has been a Greens senator for Western Australia since 2017. He is the first wheelchair user to serve in federal parliament and has campaigned on disability rights. Last week he missed parliament after a group of Greens members wrote to leader David Shoebridge.
The members asked for an investigation into allegations about his behaviour towards women between 2017 and 2025. Steele-John denied all of it in a long statement. The complaints are now under an independent investigation and have gone to the parliamentary standards commission.
π― Why It Matters
Police and courts, not social media, have to sort out what happened here. The case also shows how fast a public figure's private life becomes national news.
A 40-year-old woman has been charged over the alleged stalking and attempted extortion of Greens senator Jordon Steele-John. Western Australian police say detectives from the family violence squad charged her on Wednesday. Police will allege she is a former partner of the senator.
She faces one count of aggravated stalking with intent to intimidate and one count of demanding property by written threats, which is extortion. She was due in a Perth magistrates court on Thursday. Steele-John's office says he will not comment further.
Steele-John has been a Greens senator for Western Australia since 2017. He is the first wheelchair user to serve in federal parliament and has campaigned on disability rights. Last week he missed parliament after a group of Greens members wrote to leader David Shoebridge.
The members asked for an investigation into allegations about his behaviour towards women between 2017 and 2025. Steele-John denied all of it in a long statement. The complaints are now under an independent investigation and have gone to the parliamentary standards commission.
Police and courts, not social media, have to sort out what happened here. The case also shows how fast a public figure's private life becomes national news.