Larissa Waters has stepped down as Greens leader for health reasons. Photo: Greens.
Larissa Waters has stepped down as Greens leader due to ill health and will take a period of medical leave of absence from the Senate.
Senator Waters announced her resignation in a letter emailed directly to Greens party members Monday evening (28 September), followed by a general media statement.
She said she is currently managing a pre-existing kidney condition that has worsened significantly in recent months.
“For some time now, I’ve been quietly managing chronic kidney disease alongside doing the work I love,” Senator Waters told her members.
“But recently it’s taken a downturn, and I need to be honest with myself about not being invincible.
“My doctors have been clear: my prospects for recovery are good, but the best path forward means a slower pace of life than leading a political party allows.
“Friends, you know that we don’t have time to waste. The battle for a safer climate, a fairer country, and against the corporate greed gripping Australia is here, and it’s urgent.
“It can’t waste a day, and nor can the Greens.
“I’m really sad that illness has cut my time as leader short. 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.”
A party room meeting will determine the next steps for the leadership this week.
Senator Waters was adamant she was not vacating her Senate seat permanently.
“I’ll be taking some medical leave, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m stepping back from the leadership, not from the work we’re all here to do,” she told the Greens membership.
“I’m looking forward to returning to the Senate as soon as I can, and continuing to represent Queensland and fight for the things we all believe in.
“Being your leader has been an extraordinary experience and an honour … When I unexpectedly took on this role in May 2025, plenty of commentators wrote us off.
“We’d just lost lower house seats, and the pundits said our moment had passed. But you didn’t give up, and neither did we.
“In the face of shifting political sands ever since, we have been the only party to hold – and grow – our support in the polls against the right-wing surge.
“We held every one of our Senate seats, retained the balance of power and used it to win real change.”
Senator Waters has been widely regarded as a pragmatic, collaborative leader who can negotiate across party lines to secure and amend legislation.
During her brief leadership tenure, Senator Waters used the party’s balance of power in the Senate to deliver several wins.
The Greens secured several amendments to the environmental protection legislation last November, including tighter land-clearing controls and preventing the fast-tracking of coal and gas projects under a national interest exemption.
Native forest logging will also be brought under national environmental standards within 18 months.
Following the Bondi terror attack, Senator Waters moved quickly to make gun safety a priority and committed Greens support for the gun reforms.
She convinced the Federal Government to split its omnibus bill so gun reforms could pass without delay and hate speech laws could be dealt with separately. The government agreed and firearms changes passed in January.
The Greens have also secured several parliamentary inquiries into government legislation.
“I’d like to thank my colleagues for their understanding, and the medical professionals who have supported me through this process,” Senator Waters said in her media statement.
“I will keep working for the people of Queensland, for women’s safety and for climate action when I am able to return to parliament.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
