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David Shoebridge Elected New Australian Greens Leader - Sydney, NSW
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NSW Senator David Shoebridge has been elected leader of the Australian Greens, with Victorian Senator Steph Hodgins-May chosen as deputy after a contested party-room ballot.
David Shoebridge has been elected the new federal leader of the Australian Greens, following a leadership ballot held by the party in Sydney on 30 September 2026. He replaces Queensland Senator Larissa Waters, who stepped down from the leadership earlier this week.
The leadership change followed Waters' decision to leave the position after 16 months in the role. The Greens held an unusual contested leadership ballot involving three candidates: Shoebridge, NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi and South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
Shoebridge ultimately secured seven votes, while Faruqi received four after preferences. Hanson-Young was eliminated during the first round after receiving two votes. The result makes Shoebridge the sixth leader in the Greens' federal history.
Victorian Senator Steph Hodgins-May was elected deputy leader. She ran on a joint ticket with Shoebridge and defeated the other candidates for the deputy position by six votes to five.
Shoebridge has been a federal senator for New South Wales since 2022 and previously served in the NSW Parliament. In his first remarks as leader, he outlined his intention to focus on issues including cost-of-living pressures, corporate power, climate policy and the political influence of One Nation. These statements represent his stated political priorities rather than an independent assessment of their likely effects.
The leadership process has also prompted discussion within the Greens about how future leaders should be selected. Faruqi said she was disappointed with the outcome and called for future leadership elections to be opened to the broader party membership rather than being decided only by the parliamentary party room.
Shoebridge said expanding participation in leadership selection was an ongoing conversation with party members. He also said the party would work with Labor in the Senate when legislation represented what the Greens regarded as significant policy change.
The leadership transition comes during a period in which the Greens hold an important position in the Senate. Because the federal government does not have a Senate majority, negotiations with the Greens or Coalition can be relevant when legislation requires additional votes.
Former leader Larissa Waters said she was stepping back from the leadership to focus on her health and would return as a Queensland senator after medical leave. She described her time leading the party as an important period for the organisation.
The new leadership team will now face the task of setting the party's parliamentary priorities and negotiating its approach to government legislation. Shoebridge and Hodgins-May have both indicated that cost-of-living issues and climate policy will remain prominent areas of focus.
LeadershipShoebridgeGreensPartyLeader
David Shoebridge has been elected the new federal leader of the Australian Greens, following a leadership ballot held by the party in Sydney on 30 September 2026. He replaces Queensland Senator Larissa Waters, who stepped down from the leadership earlier this week.
The leadership change followed Waters' decision to leave the position after 16 months in the role. The Greens held an unusual contested leadership ballot involving three candidates: Shoebridge, NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi and South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
Shoebridge ultimately secured seven votes, while Faruqi received four after preferences. Hanson-Young was eliminated during the first round after receiving two votes. The result makes Shoebridge the sixth leader in the Greens' federal history.
Victorian Senator Steph Hodgins-May was elected deputy leader. She ran on a joint ticket with Shoebridge and defeated the other candidates for the deputy position by six votes to five.
Shoebridge has been a federal senator for New South Wales since 2022 and previously served in the NSW Parliament. In his first remarks as leader, he outlined his intention to focus on issues including cost-of-living pressures, corporate power, climate policy and the political influence of One Nation. These statements represent his stated political priorities rather than an independent assessment of their likely effects.
The leadership process has also prompted discussion within the Greens about how future leaders should be selected. Faruqi said she was disappointed with the outcome and called for future leadership elections to be opened to the broader party membership rather than being decided only by the parliamentary party room.
Shoebridge said expanding participation in leadership selection was an ongoing conversation with party members. He also said the party would work with Labor in the Senate when legislation represented what the Greens regarded as significant policy change.
The leadership transition comes during a period in which the Greens hold an important position in the Senate. Because the federal government does not have a Senate majority, negotiations with the Greens or Coalition can be relevant when legislation requires additional votes.
Former leader Larissa Waters said she was stepping back from the leadership to focus on her health and would return as a Queensland senator after medical leave. She described her time leading the party as an important period for the organisation.
The new leadership team will now face the task of setting the party's parliamentary priorities and negotiating its approach to government legislation. Shoebridge and Hodgins-May have both indicated that cost-of-living issues and climate policy will remain prominent areas of focus.
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