Larissa Waters has announced she will step down as leader of the Greens, revealing that a pre existing kidney disease has caused her health to decline significantly over recent months. In a candid statement released Monday night, Waters explained that while her prospects for recovery remain positive, the grueling demands of leading the party and the associated travel requirements have become unsustainable. She noted that focusing on her health must now take priority over her political duties, though she intends to return to the Senate representing Queensland once her medical leave concludes.

Waters took over the leadership following the 2025 election, which saw former leader Adam Bandt lose his lower house seat in a surprising result. Her tenure arrived at a challenging moment for the party, as internal frustrations grew regarding the Greens’ ability to maintain voter momentum while major parties lost ground to One Nation. Despite these pressures, Waters pointed to several key achievements during her time at the helm, specifically highlighting successful negotiations with Labor on environmental law reforms and the implementation of stricter gun laws following last year’s terrorist attack at Bondi Beach.

The departure leaves a power vacuum within the party room, with a meeting scheduled for next week to determine who will succeed her. High profile figures such as deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi and senators Sarah Hanson Young, David Shoebridge, and Nick McKim are expected to be potential contenders for the ballot. The incoming leader will face an uphill battle to rebuild the party’s presence in the lower house, where they currently hold only one seat through representative Elizabeth Watson Brown.

Throughout her career since first entering the Senate in 2011, Waters has remained a prominent voice on gender equality and parliamentary reform. Even amidst previous hurdles, including a brief resignation during the dual citizenship crisis of 2017, she established herself as a formidable advocate for women’s safety and climate action. As she prepares to pass the torch, Waters emphasized that the urgency of the climate fight requires a leader with full energy and health to guide the movement toward the next federal election.

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