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Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi has emerged as a leading contender to replace Larissa Waters after the outgoing leader announced she was stepping down due to kidney disease on Monday.
Faruqi is widely expected to contest the leadership, backed strongly by the party's activist base, particularly those pushing for a more confrontational approach to Labor and a sharper focus on social justice and Palestine.
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Faruqi → see → justice
The Pakistani-born NSW senator has attracted support from several grassroots groups in recent years.
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senator → bear → years
In 2025, the Blak Greens, a group led by First Nations members, formally endorsed Faruqi and signed an open letter organised by the NSW Young Greens backing her leadership.
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Greens → lead → leadership
That support was later reinforced when the Blak Greens passed a motion calling for Faruqi to take over the First Nations portfolio from Indigenous senator Dorinda Cox.
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Faruqi → reinforce → Cox
'The First Nations portfolio (must) be moved to Senator Mehreen Faruqi,' the motion said.
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motion → move → Faruqi
The same meeting also criticised Cox, a former police officer whose more moderate stance has long drawn opposition from parts of the party's left.
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stance → criticise → left
These tensions contributed to Cox's eventual defection to Labor, after she became increasingly frustrated with elements of the Greens' membership and culture.
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she → contribute → membership
Mehreen Faruqi (pictured) is considered a frontrunner for the leadership of The Greens
The Blak Greens also moved against another possible leadership contender, resolving that South Australian senator Sarah Hanson-Young should not become leader because she 'would not be an effective leader in implementing Australian Greens policies relating to First Nations issues, 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 at the same time.
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Greens → picture → time
Hanson-Young also faces scepticism from some parts of the party base, despite her seniority and long tenure in the Senate.
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Young → face → Senate
The South Australian senator is married to political lobbyist Ben Oquist, a partner at DPG Advisory Solutions, which has counted Rio Tinto, Wesfarmers, Uber and Ausgrid among its clients.
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which → count → clients
For some party activists, the relationship has become a symbol of the Greens' growing proximity to the political establishment.
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relationship → become → establishment
While Faruqi is an early favourite among activists, she is not the only candidate being considered on the party's left.
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she → consider → left
Several Greens sources believe David Shoebridge could also emerge as a strong contender if he chooses to run, particularly among MPs and senators seeking a unifying leader after a bruising election.
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he → believe → election
In 2025, the Greens lost three of their four lower house seats, including Melbourne, the party's former stronghold, which had been held by former leader Adam Bandt.
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which → lose → Bandt
David Shoebridge (pictured) is also expected to stand for the leadership of the Greens Party
Shoebridge's status in the party was on display earlier this month when he publicly defended Waters following a highly visible internal rebellion.
The dispute erupted when senators Nick McKim, Vanessa Bleyer and Jordon Steele-John crossed the floor to support a Coalition disallowance motion targeting a proposal for a future NSW Koala National Park and Australia's carbon offset framework.
The move came despite Waters and the leadership having negotiated amendments with Labor, prompting Energy Minister Chris Bowen to publicly thank her for helping secure a deal.
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Waters → picture → deal
Although the disallowance motion was defeated, the sight of Greens senators voting against their own party's position fuelled speculation about divisions.
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senators → defeat → divisions
The episode exposed a growing split between MPs willing to accept incremental policy wins and activists who remain deeply sceptical of market-based climate policies like carbon offsets.
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who → expose → offsets
Waters rejected suggestions that the vote reflected wider leadership problems when questioned by the Daily Mail.
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vote → reject → Mail
'I'm really pleased that we were able to secure some important improvements,' she said.
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she → please → improvements
'We will work every single day to end native forest logging and to stop coal and gas projects from using dodgy ACCUs as a get-out-of-jail-free card.
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We → work → card
So I feel very pleased and confident about the fight that's coming.'
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that → feel → fight
Larissa Waters (centre) on Monday announced her resignation as leader of the Greens
Shoebridge, standing beside her, defended Waters.
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Shoebridge → announce → Waters
'On the question of leadership, when tough decisions needed to be made, Larissa made them last week,' he said.
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he → need → them
'She showed leadership.
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She → show → leadership
It's something that a less effective leader could easily have walked away from, but she didn't.
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she → walk → that
The comments have only added to speculation that Shoebridge could emerge as a unity candidate if the contest becomes a choice between the party's activist wing and more pragmatic parliamentarians.
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contest → add → wing
Shoebridge is also seen as the most outspoken and effective performer within the party on issues of artificial intelligence, AUKUS, defence and the Middle East, all considered key concerns for Greens members.
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all → see → members
While Shoebridge also comes from the party's left wing, his supporters believe he would be better at connecting the Greens with mainstream voters.
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he → come → voters
A vote to decide the new party leader will be held at a party room meeting in Sydney later this week, with the result expected by Thursday at the latest.
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result → decide → latest
The Aporia
