Greens leadership change after Larissa Waters' resignation due to health

Consensus Summary

The Australian Greens have undergone a leadership transition after Larissa Waters announced her resignation on 2026-09-26 due to deteriorating health from chronic kidney disease. Waters, who took over in May 2025 following the party’s disastrous 2025 election—where it lost three lower house seats, including Adam Bandt’s long-held Melbourne seat—stepped aside after just 16 months in the role. The party now holds only one lower house seat and 10 Senate seats, leaving it in a precarious position as One Nation surges in popularity. Waters’ departure created an urgent need for a new leader to steer the Greens amid growing voter dissatisfaction with Labor and the Coalition, as well as the rise of far-right politics.

Waters’ resignation came as a shock to party members, who had gathered in Sydney for a two-day retreat to discuss policy and strategy. The leadership vacuum prompted a scramble among contenders, including deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi, long-serving senator Sarah Hanson-Young, and defence spokesperson David Shoebridge. Unlike past leadership changes, which were resolved by consensus, this time the Greens held an unprecedented ballot. The party room of 11 members voted on 2026-09-30, with Shoebridge emerging victorious with seven votes, defeating Faruqi (four votes) and Hanson-Young. Steph Hodgins-May, a relatively new senator appointed in May 2024, was elected deputy leader, defeating Vanessa Bleyer in a separate ballot.

Key figures in the race reflected the Greens’ internal divisions. Shoebridge, known for his combative style in Senate debates and opposition to AUKUS, positioned himself as a fighter against One Nation and corporate influence, promising to 'replace Labor' rather than reform it. Faruqi, who had been deputy leader since 2022, was seen as a more hardline voice, particularly on issues like Gaza, where she had previously led protests and faced backlash for her outspoken criticism of Israel. Hanson-Young, the party’s longest-serving federal senator, framed her bid as a call to arms against Labor’s weak policies and One Nation’s hate rhetoric, while Hodgins-May, a former environmental lawyer, appealed to younger voters with her sharp social media presence and push for a 25% gas tax.

The coverage diverged slightly in emphasis, with the ABC and Guardian highlighting Faruqi’s controversial stances—such as her 2023 Gaza walkout and 2025 racial discrimination case against Pauline Hanson—as defining her leadership style, while 7NEWS focused more on Shoebridge’s aggressive parliamentary tactics and Hodgins-May’s appeal to young voters. The Guardian also noted internal frustrations with Waters’ moderate approach, which some believed had failed to capitalize on voter disillusionment with the major parties. Meanwhile, the ABC underscored the party’s structural challenges, including its small size (11 members) and the influence of personal relationships over policy in leadership decisions, as seen in the recent floor-crossing by Nick McKim, Vanessa Bleyer, and Jordon Steele-John over a carbon credits scheme.

With Shoebridge now at the helm, the Greens face pressure to adopt a more confrontational stance against One Nation and Labor, particularly as the party struggles to regain ground lost in the 2025 election. Faruqi, though defeated, called for future leadership votes to be opened to the broader membership, arguing that the current process undermines the party’s grassroots identity. Waters, in her farewell remarks, expressed pride in the party’s resilience but acknowledged the need for a new leader to 'take up the fight' against the political right. The next steps will likely include Shoebridge’s first major policy announcements and efforts to rebuild the Greens’ electoral fortunes ahead of future elections.