Larissa Waters has resigned as leader of Australia’s Greens because of a deterioration in her chronic kidney disease, saying she needs to step back from the demands of leading a political party.
The 49-year-old senator said her doctors expected her recovery prospects to be good, but advised that she adopt a slower pace of life. The Greens will choose her successor in a secret ballot of MPs later this week.
“For some time now I’ve been quietly managing chronic kidney disease alongside doing the work I love. But recently it’s taken a downturn, and I need to be honest with myself about not being invincible,” Waters said.
Waters intends to take medical leave before returning to the Senate, meaning her resignation as leader will not create a vacancy. She will resume her role as one of the Greens senators for Queensland when she is able to do so.
“I’m really sad that illness has cut my time as leader short,” she said. “But our Greens movement is too important, and I want to pass the torch over to someone who is ready to take up the fight.”
During her time as leader, Waters said the party had secured significant achievements, including an agreement with Labor to protect native forests as part of reforms to Australia’s 25-year-old environmental laws.
The Greens’ primary vote has remained steady since the election, although voters have moved towards One Nation. Some Greens MPs, including deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi, have voiced frustration that the party has not benefited from the populist-left momentum associated with New York City socialist Democrat Zohran Mamdani and UK Greens leader Zach Polanski.
Potential candidates to succeed Waters include Faruqi, Sarah Hanson-Young, Tasmanian environment-focused senator Nick McKim and New South Wales senator David Shoebridge.
Hanson-Young is regarded as a dealmaker but may be viewed as too moderate by the party’s hard-left faction. Shoebridge is considered part of the party’s hard left.
Waters said the political challenges facing the Greens remained urgent, including the campaign for a safer climate, a fairer country and action against corporate greed.
