Greens leader Larissa Waters steps down due to illness ahead of 2025 election

Consensus Summary

Greens leader Senator Larissa Waters has announced her resignation due to worsening kidney disease, ending her leadership just over a year after taking the role in May 2025. Waters, who replaced Adam Bandt following his loss in the 2025 election, revealed her decision on Monday night, citing the need for a healthier leader ahead of the next election. Both ABC and The Guardian confirm she will take medical leave but intends to return to the Senate to represent Queensland. A party room meeting to select her successor is scheduled for next week, with Deputy Leader Mehreen Faruqi, Sarah Hanson-Young, and David Shoebridge identified as potential contenders by The Guardian.

Waters’ leadership began after Bandt lost his lower house seat in the 2025 election, a shock result that reshaped the Greens’ parliamentary presence. The party now holds just one lower house seat, held by Ryan’s Elizabeth Watson-Brown, following the May election, which saw minor primary vote swings against Bandt and two Queensland incumbents. The Guardian attributes these losses to a drop in Liberal votes favoring Labor and reduced preference flows, though the party maintains its losses were not as severe as they appear. Waters’ resignation comes as the Greens face internal frustration over their electoral performance and voter engagement, particularly as support shifts to One Nation.

In her statement, Waters expressed sadness at leaving the leadership but emphasized the party’s need for a leader in good health to secure success in the next election. She thanked colleagues and doctors for their support, highlighting achievements such as negotiations on environmental law reforms and tougher gun laws introduced after last year’s Bondi Beach terror attack, as noted by The Guardian. Waters also acknowledged the pressure of leadership, including increased travel demands, had hindered her recovery. ABC reports she notified the party room of her decision earlier in the evening, while The Guardian provides additional context on her political career, including her 2011 election, 2017 resignation over dual citizenship, and return in 2018.

The two outlets diverge slightly in their framing of Waters’ background and the Greens’ current challenges. The Guardian delves deeper into her political history, including her role as co-deputy leader between 2015 and 2022, and her contributions to workplace culture reforms based on Kate Jenkins’ report. It also highlights internal frustrations with the party’s voter appeal and the potential leadership contest dynamics. Meanwhile, ABC focuses more narrowly on the immediate resignation announcement and the upcoming leadership meeting, without exploring the broader political context or potential successors in detail. Both agree on the core facts of Waters’ health, her resignation, and the timing of the leadership vote.

With Waters stepping aside, the Greens now face an uncertain future as they prepare for the next election. The party’s reduced parliamentary presence and shifting voter preferences add to the challenges for her successor. The Guardian suggests the leadership transition could energize the party or deepen divisions, depending on how the contest unfolds. Waters’ return to the Senate may provide stability, but her absence from the leadership will leave a significant void. The party room meeting next week will be critical in determining the Greens’ direction as they navigate the political landscape ahead of the election, with all eyes on whether they can regain lost ground or further decline in influence.