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Larissa Waters steps down as Australian Greens leader due to ill health

politicsSep 28, 202628236

Senator Larissa Waters has stood down as federal Greens leader because a chronic kidney condition has worsened, and she will take medical leave while remaining a Queensland senator. Waters, 49, told colleagues in a virtual meeting that she needs to work at a "slower pace" and thanked supporters for her 16 months as leader after taking the role in May 2025. She replaced Adam Bandt and won the leadership over deputy Mehreen Faruqi and senator Sarah Hanson-Young. The Greens partyroom will meet in the coming days and hold a secret ballot of its MPs later this week or next week to elect a successor. Waters highlighted policy wins during her tenure, including a November 2025 deal with Labor that tightened land clearing controls and blocked fast-tracking of coal and gas projects under a national interest exemption. The Greens under Waters also pushed to separate gun safety measures from hate speech laws after the Bondi Beach terrorist attack and used their Senate balance of power to stall proposed NDIS reforms while securing an extended inquiry. Waters said she intends to return to her upper house duties when her health allows.

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