High-profile Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has officially launched a bid for the party’s leadership, vowing to adopt a more aggressive stance against both Labor and One Nation following the shock resignation of Larissa Waters.
Waters, who took over as leader in May last year, announced her departure on Monday to focus on treatment for kidney disease. Her sudden exit has left the party scrambling ahead of a two-day retreat in Sydney, where the Greens’ 11-member party room is expected to select a successor by Thursday.
Hanson-Young, the party’s longest-serving federal MP, confirmed her intentions on social media Tuesday. In a pointed statement, she signaled a desire to sharpen the party’s public profile, criticising what she described as “failed policies” from Labor and the Liberal Party and the “hate peddling” of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
“People deserve better,” Hanson-Young said. “Our communities and environment are being hammered by a rigged system and they want politicians that will fight for them. I will fight with everything I’ve got.”
While Hanson-Young is a seasoned political operator, she is not the only contender. Internal discussions are underway, with Deputy Leader Mehreen Faruqi, defence spokesperson David Shoebridge, and Treasury spokesperson Nick McKim considered potential rivals for the top job.
The leadership vacuum arrives at a critical juncture for the party. Following a disappointing 2025 election result—which saw high-profile figures including Adam Bandt and Max Chandler-Mather lose their seats—the Greens have struggled to maintain their relevance. With One Nation effectively supplanting the Greens as the nation’s third major political force, there is growing pressure within the party to shift toward a more combative, high-visibility strategy. Some insiders have expressed frustration that the moderate approach favoured during the Waters tenure failed to capitalize on voter disillusionment with the major parties.
Both Shoebridge and Faruqi have remained cautious publicly. While a spokesperson for Faruqi confirmed the New South Wales senator is “considering her options,” Shoebridge declined to rule himself in or out, instead praising Waters’ “bravery” and insisting the party must remain the “progressive party of choice.”
As negotiations continue, the party is also weighing potential candidates for the deputy leadership, with Victorian senator Steph Hodgins-May and Queensland’s Penny Allman-Payne emerging as key figures in the broader power shuffle.
For her part, Waters expressed sadness that her tenure was cut short by health concerns but remained defiant about the party’s future. “Our Greens movement is too important, and I want to pass the torch over to someone who is ready to take up the fight,” she wrote to members.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese extended his well-wishes to Waters, acknowledging the immense pressure inherent in the leadership of a minor party. While Waters will remain in the Senate, the upcoming ballot in Sydney will determine whether the Greens pivot toward the fire-and-brimstone approach promised by Hanson-Young or maintain a steady, moderate course.
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