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Senator David Shoebridge has won the Australian Greens leadership, defeating Mehreen Faruqi after preferences in a contested election. The result has exposed tensions within the party, with concerns that its leaders must restore unity to present a strong challenge to One Nation and the broader radical right. Sarah Hanson-Young was eliminated in the first ballot, while grassroots members have also called for greater participation in future leadership elections.
Despite a long political career, the newly selected Greens leader doesn't have the "profile" of his challengers, one expert says. Senator David Shoebridge emerged as the new leader of the Australian Greens after a hotly contested three-way race on Wednesday.
David Shoebridge's election as the Greens' new leader has caused a rift among prominent party-room members. Experts warn Shoebridge's vow to "beat down One Nation" won't be possible unless the party achieves greater unity. David Shoebridge has been chosen as the Australian Greens' new leader in an unprecedented ballot that has caused friction within the party.
Shoebridge faced strong competition from former deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi — who quit her role to run for top spot — and the party's Senate business manager Sarah Hanson-Young. Shoebridge won seven votes to four against Faruqi after preferences, while Hanson-Young was eliminated after the first ballot with only two votes. Steph Hodgins-May won six votes to five against Vanessa Bleyer for deputy leader in a race for which Senator Jordan Steele-John had also been nominated.
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"Friendships made and lost, but it takes all types. We all care so deeply about the future of this country and the future of the planet.
" She said the Greens have a serious challenge ahead of them to defeat the "radical right" and One Nation. "Australians deserve an optimistic, caring and defiant progressive force, and I won't be backing down," she said. Greens senators Sarah Hanson-Young, Mehreen Faruqi and David Shoebridge each launched leadership bids following Larissa Waters' decision to step down as Greens leader.
Source: AAP / Susie DoddsHanson-Young's comments came a day after Faruqi hit back at her colleagues for electing Shoebridge, saying the party's grassroots members deserve a chance to participate in future leadership elections. She wrote on social media that she was "disappointed" and shared "members' frustrations" that the vote was open only to the party's 11 parliamentarians. Zareh Ghazarian, associate professor of politics and international relations at Monash University, told SBS News that Shoebridge's victory was "a bit surprising".
He said that the Greens had "two really high-profile candidates" in Faruqi and Hanson-Young and either "would have been able to win the leadership". Ghazarian said Shoebridge will have to "lift his profile" and establish himself as a national leader, adding that, compared to his leadership rivals, "he hasn't been as strong in terms of profile". Ghazarian also doesn't lend much credence to Shoebridge's denials that tensions are running high within the party.
He said the Greens have never experienced "such tension about the leadership as they have right now".
"There's a sense that there's a bit of division in the party and it's coming at a really difficult time for the Australian Greens. " Political science expert and associate of the Australian Politics Studies Centre Ian McAllister told SBS News that Shoebridge's leadership shouldn't affect the party's popularity. "In terms of how leadership affects the Greens vote, it affects them a bit less than it does for major parties," he said.
However, he said perceived division in the party will affect the Greens' popularity.
"If people perceive it to be divided, then they're less likely to vote for it. If it's not united, there's a whole series of consequences, like people arguing in public, or voters not being clear about what the party's policies are," McAllister said. He said division affects parties like the Greens more than major parties because they "don't have the discipline of being a government or government-in-waiting".
Ghazarian believes the Greens' current tension "goes to the heart" of the party's identity crisis — its struggle between being an activist party that "works at a grassroots level" and a "traditional party" that is "pragmatic and political".
"This is really at the heart of this week's frustrations ... the idea that grassroots members should be involved but that opportunity was there for the party. " "It's going to come down to how David Shoebridge tries to be a leader that incorporates everyone and even those who weren't elected, who missed out on the leadership role — how does he work with them? That's going to be a real test.
"Ghazarian said One Nation has "squeezed out the minor parties in the broader political debate" so the Greens will be challenged to "cut through and be on the front foot". "They have signalled that they want to have a combative, activist style of politics which may potentially go some way to drawing attention," he said. "But, at the same time, they also have to demonstrate that as a party they can actually do things in parliament.
"They've got the numbers, they've got significant numbers compared to One Nation, so they have to show they're doing something with those numbers. " The Greens have struggled to increase their level of support, according to recent polling, despite declining approval of both major parties and the rising popularity of One Nation.
McAllister said the Greens' vote has remained "pretty static" for more than two decades — with the party consistently attracting only "10 per cent of the first preference votes". He believes the Greens would be debating whether to double down on what they're already doing or take advantage of the current volatility that's pushing voters toward One Nation and independents.
"They could capitalise on this volatility and cast a wider net in terms of attracting not just disaffected Labor voters, but also disaffected Liberals as well," he said. At the 2025 election, the Greens lost three of their four seats and their leader, Adam Bandt. They later lost senator Dorinda Cox, who defected to Labor.
But the diminished party Shoebridge now leads has more leverage in parliament: it now holds the sole balance of power in the Senate on bills not supported by the Coalition. Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.
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