Shoebridge Enters Three-Way Race to Lead the Greens After Waters Resigns
NSW senator David Shoebridge will run for leader of the Australian Greens. He announced on Wednesday morning, 30 September, that he would stand on a joint ticket with Victorian senator Steph Hodgins-May as his proposed deputy. A joint ticket is a paired bid, like running mates, though colleagues still vote for each post separately. The Guardian
He will face deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi and communications spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young. Faruqi said she would run with Tasmanian senator Nick McKim as her deputy. With three names in contention, almost half of the Greens party room is contesting the vote. The party room is the group of federal Greens MPs and senators who choose the leader. The Sydney Morning Herald
Greens MPs gathered for a two-day party retreat after Larissa Waters resigned. A leadership result was expected as soon as Wednesday, 30 September. The timeline is compressed.
Waters quit as leader to focus on treatment for kidney disease. Her health had declined since she was elected leader in May last year. She is expected to take medical leave before returning to the Senate. The federal party room had unanimously elected Waters as leader.
Shoebridge entered federal parliament in 2022 after more than a decade in NSW state politics. He holds the defence and foreign affairs portfolios, the policy areas he speaks on, and serves as the party's AI spokesman. Politico Hodgins-May entered parliament in May 2024, filling a casual vacancy, or empty seat, created by Janet Rice's retirement. She was appointed assistant Climate and Energy portfolio holder in the Greens' 48th Parliament portfolio allocation.
The leadership hopefuls have vowed to 'replace' Labor. News.com.au
The broader context here is how the Greens manage succession under pressure. Joint tickets are not binding in a party-room ballot, but they signal intent. They pair geographic bases and portfolio strengths before a vote, which reduces uncertainty for colleagues weighing stability against renewal. Both declared tickets combine a contender with a deputy from another state, a conventional way to balance representation in a small federal party room.
Looking at what this means for the weeks ahead, the new leader inherits an immediate test of cohesion. A retreat ballot held within days of a health-driven resignation leaves little time for policy repositioning, so the choice of deputy and the framing around Labor will carry weight beyond titles. Three names are now in contention. How the losing tickets align after Wednesday will determine whether the party projects unity or an extended contest over direction.
In my view, the variables to track are discipline and sequencing. A leader elected by a divided room must quickly allocate portfolios, manage Senate business, and prepare for Waters' return from medical leave. The deputy selections suggest an effort to bridge experience gaps and state delegations. Whether that bridging holds after the vote will be clearer once portfolio allocations and public messaging settle.
