2026-09-28
The Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Larissa Waters, has today announced that she will step down as Leader of the Australian Greens due to ill health. Senator Waters is currently managing a pre-existing kidney disease that has declined significantly over the course of recent months. While her prognosis for recovery is positive, she has made the difficult decision that the demands of leadership, including the additional travel, are not compatible with giving her health the priority it needs.
A party room meeting will determine the next steps for the leadership this week.
Since becoming Leader of the Australian Greens in May 2025, Senator Larissa Waters has used the party's balance of power in the Senate to deliver significant outcomes:
- Environmental law reform: In November 2025, after weeks of tough negotiations, Senator Waters and the Greens secured the long-overdue overhaul of Australia's 25-year-old environment laws. The Greens won changes that would bring native forest logging under national environmental standards within 18 months, tighten controls on land clearing, and stop coal and gas projects being fast-tracked to approval or declared "national interest" projects.
- Gun law reform: Following the horrific antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach, Senator Waters moved quickly to make gun safety a priority. She committed Greens support for the gun reforms and pressed the government to split them out of its rushed omnibus bill so they could pass without delay. The government agreed, and on 20 January 2026 federal parliament passed laws funding a national gun buyback that promises to save lives and make our communities safer.
Senator Waters will take a period of medical leave, and return to parliament in the role of Senator for Queensland as soon as she can.
Attributable to Senator Larissa Waters:
“It has been a tremendous honour to be leader of the Greens, fighting for people and the planet. I’m really sad that illness means my time as leader has been cut short, but our movement needs a leader in good health to lead us to success at the next election.
“Passing the torch on to the next leader of the Party will put them in the best position to take the Greens to the next election, fighting for people, not the corporate interests that run Labor, Liberals and One Nation.
“Our fight is too important, and it needs more time and energy than I am able to give while I focus on my recovery.
“I’d like to thank my colleagues for their understanding, and the medical professionals who have supported me through this process.
“I will keep working for the people of Queensland, for women’s safety and for climate action when I am able to return to parliament.”