Mehreen Faruqi Emerges as Frontrunner for Greens Leadership After Waters Resigns
The Pakistani-born senator is backed by the party's activist base, pushing for a more confrontational stance, while David Shoebridge is also considered a potential contender.
Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi is positioned as a leading contender to succeed Larissa Waters, who announced her resignation as leader on Monday due to kidney disease. Faruqi is expected to contest the leadership, drawing strong support from the party's activist base who advocate for a more assertive approach towards the Labor party and a focused agenda on social justice and Palestine.
The New South Wales senator, who was born in Pakistan, has garnered endorsements from several grassroots organizations. In 2025, the Blak Greens, a group composed of First Nations members, formally endorsed Faruqi and signed an open letter supporting her leadership. This support was further solidified when the Blak Greens passed a motion calling for Faruqi to assume the First Nations portfolio from Indigenous senator Dorinda Cox, who has since defected to Labor.
The Blak Greens' motion also criticized senator Sarah Hanson-Young, another potential leadership candidate, stating she would not be an effective leader on issues concerning First Nations, racial justice, social justice, and the liberation of the Palestinian people. The Australian Young Greens passed a similar motion opposing a Hanson-Young leadership bid. Hanson-Young faces scrutiny from some party members, partly due to her marriage to political lobbyist Ben Oquist, whose firm has represented major corporations. This relationship has been viewed by some activists as a symbol of the Greens' increasing alignment with the political establishment.
While Faruqi is favored by activists, other candidates are also being considered. Several Greens sources suggest David Shoebridge could emerge as a strong contender, particularly among MPs and senators seeking a unifying figure after a challenging election period in which the Greens lost key lower house seats. Shoebridge recently defended Waters amidst an internal rebellion where several senators crossed the floor to vote against a government proposal on carbon offsets, a move that exposed divisions within the party regarding climate policy.
Waters has dismissed suggestions that the internal dissent indicated broader leadership issues, expressing satisfaction with the improvements secured in negotiations with Labor. A vote for the new party leader is scheduled to take place at a party room meeting later this week, with results anticipated by Thursday.
