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David Shoebridge has been elected leader of the Australian Greens in a rare contested vote, defeating Mehreen Faruqi and Sarah Hanson-Young, and vows a tougher approach to Labor.
David Shoebridge has been elected leader of the Australian Greens in a rare contested party-room vote, defeating Mehreen Faruqi and Sarah Hanson-Young. He won six of 11 votes, surging through the middle on a ticket with deputy Stephanie Hodgins-May, 41.
The result was confirmed on Wednesday. In his first speech as leader, Shoebridge said the Greens are not here to reform the Labor party. We are here to replace the Labor party, he declared. This signals a tougher approach to negotiations with the government after four years of a Labor government.
Shoebridge said this is an extraordinary moment in politics and we can all feel it. He said politics as usual is not providing the answers that people are desperately calling for now. After four years of Labor, things have got better for the 1 per cent but much harder for ordinary Australians. He pledged to connect with millions of Australians who have legitimate anger with politics and make them believe in politics again.
He wants to move beyond the politics of hate and division. He said the Greens must fill a vacuum left by Labor while also recognising what drives voters to One Nation. Barely 12 months ago, One Nation were on 7 per cent, Shoebridge said. We have got a platform that is double that.
We are so close to this. He said the party needs to bridge that gap with a sense of political momentum and positivity. On Labor, Shoebridge said: If you put serious material change on the table of the parliament, we will vote for that. But after four years of watching them not do that, we are not here to make Labor better.
Greens Leader Challenges Labor Party
Some Coalition MPs are pleased by the prospect, while Labor MPs brace for a tougher time. The Greens have stalled at a 12 per cent vote share between the last two elections, despite fertile political ground. Commentators have asked why the party has not capitalised on voter discontent like Zohran Mamdani and Zack Polanski overseas. Shoebridge echoed their populist catch cries.
Shoebridge paid tribute to Larissa Waters, who resigned suddenly. Waters had taken a more constructive approach and helped Labor pass key legislation including its budget tax package. There was genuine remorse in the Greens as she stepped back to manage a chronic kidney issue. Shoebridge said he and Hodgins-May would build on Waters work.
Faruqi said she was disappointed the party chose another direction and claimed many others will feel the same way. She said ordinary party members felt frustration that the leadership was decided by politicians, not grassroots membership. Shoebridge earlier supported grassroots involvement and will be held to that. Shoebridge, 55, grew up on Sydney north shore and attended James Ruse Agricultural High School and the University of Sydney.
Shoebridge Legal and Political Career
He worked as an employment lawyer and barrister, represented the Greens on Woollahra Council in 2004, and entered NSW politics in 2010. In NSW, he chaired the powerful Public Accountability Committee and focused on transparency and civil liberties. He cited his campaigns against corruption and fighting for ICAC resources. NSW politics is brutal, he said.
If you want to earn your stripes, the bear pit of the NSW parliament is not a bad spot. Since entering federal parliament in 2022, he has focused on defence, AUKUS, refugees and Australia relationship with the United States. He is known for viral clips of his interrogations of ministers and bureaucrats during Senate hearings, and for running his own media strategy.
A Greens source said he does act like the smartest guy in the room, but often he actually is. Another described him as easily the most effective Green and one of the most impactful crossbenchers in the Senate. But he can be divisive. Many Jewish Australians have been dismayed by his advocacy for Palestine.
Controversy Surrounds Shoebridge Record
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has described his pursuit of the government role in the F-35 fighter jet parts supply chain to Israel as unconscionable behaviour. She accused him of lying and using misinformation. The government offered the Greens a spot on a new AI committee but with the proviso that it could not be Shoebridge, Politico reported. He will preside over a critical renewal period, with Peter Whish-Wilson having left parliament and Barbara Pocock not contesting the next election.
There is a push from activist ranks for those spots to go to younger, digitally savvy campaigners in the mould of the US democratic socialist movement. The Greens face internal debate between pragmatism and populism. Any change under Shoebridge is more likely to be in style than substance, insiders believe. The party platform is already full of redistributive policies.
Waters launched a Tax the 1 per cent campaign earlier this year, and the agenda has remained stable over the federal party 34-year history. There is not much difference between Shoebridge and his predecessors Adam Bandt and Richard Di Natale. Shoebridge said he and Hodgins-May would present a fresh, new, strong base connecting people material lives and struggles to how politics and the major parties have failed them. Parliament returns in mid-October, when his effectiveness as leader will be tested.
GuardianAus 
brisbanetimes:David Shoebridge is one of parliament’s best operators. His new task as Greens leader is far broader 
theage:David Shoebridge is one of parliament’s best operators. His new task as Greens leader is far broaderThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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