Greens choose outspoken senator David Shoebridge as new leader
David Shoebridge has been elected leader of the Greens, defeating fellow NSW senator Mehreen Faruqi and South Australian senator Sarah Hanson-Young after Larissa Waters stepped down for health reasons.
Shoebridge secured the party’s top job following a vote during a party retreat in Sydney on Wednesday morning.
Victorian senator Steph Hodgins-May was elected deputy leader after running on a joint ticket with Shoebridge.
Former leader Larissa Waters announced that she would be stepping down due to ill health earlier this week.
Greens senator Nick McKim revealed on Wednesday that Shoebridge won the party’s leadership ballot after securing a majority of votes from the parliamentary party room.
Shoebridge topped the first-round vote with six primary votes, ahead of Faruqi on three and Hanson-Young on two.
After preferences were distributed, Shoebridge defeated Faruqi by seven votes to four.
Shoebridge enters the role as one of the Greens’ most prominent public figures, particularly on issues including artificial intelligence, AUKUS, defence policy and the Middle East.
David Shoebridge has been elected leader of the Greens
Steph Hodgins-May (pictured) has been elected as Deputy Leader alongside Shoebridge
A visibly emotional Larissa Waters on Wednesday said it had been an ‘incredible honour’ to lead the Greens, but said she could not continue because of her deteriorating health.
‘I hope to be OK, but I need to look after myself,’ she said.
Fighting back tears, Waters said she was proud of what the party had achieved during her 16 months as leader, noting the Greens were polling strongly despite the shift towards One Nation and Pauline Hanson.
Waters thanked her colleagues and staff for their support and said she would return as a Queensland senator after taking medical leave.
More to come.
