David Shoebridge has been elected leader of the Greens, declaring that the party’s goal is not to make Labor better but to ultimately “replace” it.
The NSW senator won the leadership on Wednesday morning during a party retreat in Sydney, defeating fellow NSW senator Mehreen Faruqi and South Australian senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
“After four years of a Labor government, things have got harder … Better for the one per cent, but much, much harder for ordinary Australians,” Shoebridge said.
He said families were increasingly anxious about whether they could afford basic groceries, with some people forced to choose between paying for insurance and replacing a broken refrigerator.
“These are not decisions that Australians should be making in a country with the wealth and opportunity that Australia has,” he said.
“What has become so clear after four years of this government and years before is that we are not here to make the Labor Party any better.
“The Greens are here to replace them, and this is the team.”
Victorian senator Steph Hodgins-May was elected deputy leader after campaigning on a joint ticket with Shoebridge. She also sharpened her criticism of the Albanese government.
David Shoebridge has been elected leader of the Greens
“I am looking forward to working with David to bring a bold vision to Australia, to grow our movement and to confront the impending climate crisis that is here now,” she said.
Greens senator Nick McKim said on Wednesday that Shoebridge had won the leadership ballot after securing a majority of support from the parliamentary party room.
Shoebridge led the first-round count with six primary votes, followed by Faruqi with three and Hanson-Young with two.
Once preferences were distributed, he defeated Faruqi by seven votes to four.
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Shoebridge takes charge as one of the Greens’ most prominent public figures, with a high profile on issues such as artificial intelligence, AUKUS, defence policy and the Middle East.
His election came shortly after former leader Larissa Waters announced earlier this week that she would step down because of ill health.
Visibly emotional on Wednesday, Waters said it had been an “incredible honour” to lead the Greens but that her deteriorating health meant she could no longer continue.
“I hope to be OK, but I need to look after myself,” she said.
Steph Hodgins-May (pictured) has been elected as Deputy Leader alongside Shoebridge
Fighting back tears, Waters said she was proud of the party’s achievements during her 16 months as leader. She noted that the Greens were polling strongly despite a shift towards One Nation and Pauline Hanson.
Waters thanked her colleagues and staff for their support, adding that she would return to parliament as a Queensland senator after taking medical leave.
Shoebridge used his first address as Greens leader to praise Waters’ leadership before launching a blistering attack on Labor, arguing the major parties had failed ordinary Australians and created the conditions for the rise of One Nation.
‘Politics as usual is not providing the answers that people are desperately calling for now,’ he said.
‘After four years of this government and years before, these are decisions that have been forced on people after decades of Labor and the Coalition and now their new mates in One Nation, driving privatisation, delivering for corporate and vested interests,’ he said.
Shoebridge declared the Greens were no longer interested in merely influencing Labor from the crossbench.
‘Labor has created the circumstances for One Nation, and Labor is not the answer,’ he said.
‘The Greens, the progressive alternative, we’re here to beat down One Nation, and we’re here to replace Labor and return hope and faith to politics.’