Queensland's Larissa Waters Makes History as First Female Green Party Leader, Pledges "Politics With Heart"

Climate Action and Housing Crisis Top Agenda as Greens Reshape Leadership After Election Setbacks

Credit : Senator Larissa Waters FB page

In a turning point for Australian politics, Senator Larissa Waters has been chosen unopposed as the new leader of the Australian Greens, so marking the first female leader of the party as well as the first Queensland-based leader. The Greens' historic change comes at a pivotal point as they try to use their Senate seat to advocate for immediate action on housing affordability, cost-of-living pressures, and climate change.

Former environmental lawyer and self-described "proud feminist," Waters takes over after the Greens lost three of their four lower house seats in the most recent federal election—including once-safe Melbourne seat Adam Bandt's. The leadership change took place against the backdrop of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's landslide triumph on May 3, making him the first Australian prime minister to win re-election in more than two decades.

"Having a solid Greens team in Parliament is never more crucial. In her acceptance speech, Waters said, "the problems people are facing are getting harder and worse." "We need our Parliament to work actually to actually meet the needs of the people that it's been elected to represent; we need strong action on the climate, on nature, on the housing crisis, on the cost of living crisis."

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