> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bushletter.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # New Greens leader says party is 'here to replace Labor' - URL: https://www.bushletter.com/new-greens-leader-says-party-is-here-to-replace-labor/ - Published: 2026-09-30T05:00:31.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-01T01:35:22.000Z - Description: David Shoebridge defeated Mehreen Faruqi seven votes to four in the party's first contested leadership ballot; she called for future votes to include all members. - Author: Editor - Tags: Politics, Australia, David Shoebridge ![Margaret Hale](https://res.cloudinary.com/dz77sb7j1/image/upload/v1774262597/bushletter/authors/margaret-hale.png) By **Margaret Hale** ยท 2026-09-30 TLDR David Shoebridge won the Australian Greens leadership on 30 September, defeating Mehreen Faruqi seven votes to four in the party's first ever contested ballot. Steph Hodgins-May was elected deputy. Faruqi immediately called for future votes to include all members under a one member, one vote system. ## The first contested ballot The Australian Greens held their first ever contested leadership ballot on 30 September 2026, and the result arrived with the brisk finality that consensus had always forestalled. Senator David Shoebridge and Senator Steph Hodgins-May were elected Leader and Deputy Leader at a party room meeting on 30 September 2026.[\[1\]](https://greens.org.au/news/media-release/david-shoebridge-and-steph-hodgins-may-lead-greens-fight-against-corporate-greed?ref=bushletter.com) The contest was triggered two days earlier when Senator Larissa Waters stepped down. Waters stood aside on 28 September 2026 to prioritise treating a chronic kidney disease.[\[3\]](https://greens.org.au/news/greens-leader-step-down-due-illness?ref=bushletter.com) Three senators moved quickly to fill the vacancy she left behind. ## The ballot and how it unfolded Three candidates entered: Shoebridge, outgoing Deputy Leader Mehreen Faruqi, and Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. The vote ran across two rounds, with Hanson-Young eliminated in the first after receiving two votes. In the final round, Shoebridge defeated Faruqi seven votes to four.[\[2\]](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-30/federal-politics-greens-announce-new-leader-david-shoebridge/107211108?ref=bushletter.com) Hodgins-May won the deputy contest with six votes, ahead of Vanessa Bleyer on three and Jordon Steele-John on two.[\[2\]](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-30/federal-politics-greens-announce-new-leader-david-shoebridge/107211108?ref=bushletter.com) ## Shoebridge's opening pitch Shoebridge, a former barrister and long-time NSW Greens figure known for pursuing corporate transparency, wasted little time sharpening the party's position. "We are not here to manage a broken system. We are here to replace it," he said in the party's post-ballot release.[\[1\]](https://greens.org.au/news/media-release/david-shoebridge-and-steph-hodgins-may-lead-greens-fight-against-corporate-greed?ref=bushletter.com) The language of replacement rather than negotiation marks a deliberate hardening of posture toward the Albanese government. Hodgins-May, a former lawyer who has led campaigns against fossil fuel interests and for universal childcare, matched the register. "We're not here to reform Labor, we're here to replace them," she said.[\[1\]](https://greens.org.au/news/media-release/david-shoebridge-and-steph-hodgins-may-lead-greens-fight-against-corporate-greed?ref=bushletter.com) Shoebridge also named One Nation as a specific target, saying the Greens were here to beat down One Nation alongside their said ambition to displace Labor.[\[4\]](https://theconversation.com/new-greens-leader-david-shoebridge-declares-greens-here-to-replace-labor-292586?ref=bushletter.com) ## Faruqi's challenge to the new leadership Faruqi, outgoing deputy and a senator for NSW, did not exit quietly. She used the moment to press a structural question the ballot itself had made unavoidable. "Without a member vote, we cannot call ourselves a grassroots party. I call on the new leadership team to set a timeline for one member, one vote," she said.[\[2\]](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-30/federal-politics-greens-announce-new-leader-david-shoebridge/107211108?ref=bushletter.com) The criticism carries weight beyond procedural tidiness. A party that markets itself as the democratic alternative to two-party rule, yet settles its own succession among eleven senators behind closed doors, invites the obvious question about whose grassroots it actually represents. Faruqi's call gives that question a name and a demand: a timeline. The new Greens leadership faces its first sitting period with both an adversarial pitch toward Labor in the Senate and an unresolved internal question about democratic legitimacy at home. Shoebridge's first opportunity to test the "replace, not manage" line against actual legislation comes when parliament resumes. KEY TAKEAWAYS 01Shoebridge beat Faruqi seven votes to four after Hanson-Young was eliminated in round one with two votes. 02Larissa Waters triggered the contest by stepping aside on 28 September to treat a chronic kidney disease. 03Hodgins-May won the deputy leadership with six votes, ahead of Vanessa Bleyer on three and Jordon Steele-John on two. 04Faruqi called on the new leadership to set a timeline for one member, one vote, to honour grassroots values. 05Shoebridge declared the Greens would replace Labor, not improve it, signalling a harder Senate line. SOURCES & CITATIONS 1. [David Shoebridge and Steph Hodgins-May lead Greens fight against corporate greed](https://greens.org.au/news/media-release/david-shoebridge-and-steph-hodgins-may-lead-greens-fight-against-corporate-greed?ref=bushletter.com) 2. [Federal politics: Greens announce new leader David Shoebridge](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-30/federal-politics-greens-announce-new-leader-david-shoebridge/107211108?ref=bushletter.com) 3. [Greens leader steps down due to illness](https://greens.org.au/news/greens-leader-step-down-due-illness?ref=bushletter.com) 4. [New Greens leader David Shoebridge declares Greens here to replace Labor](https://theconversation.com/new-greens-leader-david-shoebridge-declares-greens-here-to-replace-labor-292586?ref=bushletter.com) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Why was there a contested Greens leadership ballot in 2026? Senator Larissa Waters stepped down as leader on 28 September 2026 to treat a chronic kidney disease, triggering a vacancy. Three senators, David Shoebridge, Mehreen Faruqi and Sarah Hanson-Young, all nominated, making it the party's first ever contested leadership ballot. Who is David Shoebridge? David Shoebridge is a NSW Senator and former barrister known for pursuing corporate transparency and taking on corporate influence. He was elected Australian Greens leader on 30 September 2026. What did Mehreen Faruqi say after losing the leadership vote? Faruqi called on the new leadership team to set a timeline for one member, one vote, saying the party cannot call itself grassroots without opening future leadership elections to all members. ![Margaret Hale](https://res.cloudinary.com/dz77sb7j1/image/upload/v1774262597/bushletter/authors/margaret-hale.png) [Margaret Hale](https://bushletter.com/author/margaret-hale/?ref=bushletter.com) Margaret Hale writes about politics, policy and the culture of business. She is drawn to the people behind decisions and to the moments when a political story turns out to be a human one.