The complaints are now subject to an independent investigation commissioned by the Western Australian Greens and have been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n Steele-John said in the statement he wanted any alleged behaviour investigated \u201cfairly and thoroughly\u201d but claimed an \u201cunofficial faction\u201d within the Western Australian branch had released the complaint letter to the media in a bid to oust him from the Senate.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is no coincidence that the letter arrived at the leader\u2019s office the day after we agreed on the timeline for the next preselection,\u201d Steele-John said on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is my opinion that this is an attempt to influence forthcoming party preselections by deliberately leaking out of context or misleading information to smear potential candidates and myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Steele-John said some of the letter\u2019s authors and signatories may have signed the letter out of \u201cgenuine commitment\u201d to people who experienced violence but he was angry it had been politicised.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen processes meant to protect victims are turned into weapons in preselection contests, everyone loses. Survivors become less likely to be believed. Real complaints are treated with suspicion. And the people who did this know it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is not accountability. It is factionalism, and it has no place in the Greens.\u201d<\/p>\n The senator said he was not on leave, contrary to Shoebridge\u2019s comments last week, and that he had been pressured by the leader to request leave on Thursday as Nine\u2019s story was breaking.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel that he used those meetings to repeatedly pressure me to say that I would take leave,\u201d Steele-John said.<\/p>\n The senator said \u201csurvivors of family violence are entitled to make decisions about their own lives and the Greens have always said so\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a bad call from David. We\u2019ve all made those in politics. So, to be clear, I am not on leave and did not agree to the inclusion of that line within David\u2019s statement.\u201d<\/p>\n Shoebridge said on Thursday that Steele-John had requested leave from the party room \u201cand I have accepted it\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cSenator Steele-John has indicated to me that he\u2019s on leave, and that leave means leave,\u201d the Greens leader said on Friday.<\/p>\n Guardian Australia contacted Shoebridge\u2019s office for comment on Sunday night.<\/p>\n Steele-John said the letter of complaint to Shoebridge referred to three matters but it did not set out any allegations in detail.<\/p>\n
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