Senior Greens figures say new leadership must stop Labor approving fossil fuel…
No excuses for next leader of party, Adam Bandt says, while Bob Brown warns they must also be able to take on Pauline Hanson and One Nation
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The former Greens leader Adam Bandt says the
The former Greens leader Adam Bandt says the party’s new leadership team, which could be chosen as early as today, will face mounting pressure from grassroots members to block the Labor government from approving any new coal and gas projects “by whatever means”.
He told Guardian Australia there would be no
He told Guardian Australia there would be no excuses for the new leader, likely to be elected at a two-day retreat in Sydney which begins today, to allow the Albanese government to approve any new fossil fuel development.
Larissa Waters announced she would step down from
Larissa Waters announced she would step down from the Greens’ leadership on Monday night, revealing she has been managing a chronic kidney disease, but that her health had “declined significantly over the course of recent months”. She said while her prognosis for recovery was positive, the pressure of the party’s leadership, including additional travel demands, was detracting from a focus on her health.
On Tuesday, senator Sarah Hanson-Young announced she would
On Tuesday, senator Sarah Hanson-Young announced she would run for the leadership, while NSW senator David Shoebridge would not rule himself in or out. The deputy leader, Mehreen Faruqi, has also announced her intention to run on a joint ticket with Treasury spokesperson Nick McKim as her deputy.
Bandt, now chief executive of the Australian Conservation
Bandt, now chief executive of the Australian Conservation Foundation, said there would be several key climate flashpoints for the next leader with Labor before the next election, including whether the government would approve Woodside’s Browse gas project near the Scott Reef in northern WA, whether it would allow gas fracking in the Beetaloo basin in the NT and whether datacentres would be permitted to use fracked gas.
“In terms of what approach gets taken in
“In terms of what approach gets taken in parliament, the view from the movement is: look, there’s no excuse now, there’s no parliamentary blocker to stopping new coal and gas mines and to stopping deforestation,” Bandt told Guardian Australia.
“Just get it done by whatever means, whatever
“Just get it done by whatever means, whatever it takes to make that happen, at whatever style people adopt while they’re in parliament.”
Party grandee Bob Brown said Waters had been
Party grandee Bob Brown said Waters had been a “splendid” leader, but warned the next leader would have to show they could extract significant reforms from Labor.
“The next leader has an opportunity to take
“The next leader has an opportunity to take on not just One Nation but the failures of Labor … It has to be a leader who can take it up with Anthony Albanese and Pauline Hanson,” Brown said. “You need a very, very strong and able negotiator, not just to make incremental changes, but very big changes.” While One Nation has seen its popularity surge in 2026, the Greens voter base has not significantly grown. The party received 12.22% of the primary vote in 2025 compared with 12.25% in 2022.
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Senior Greens figures say new leadership must stop Labor approving fossil fuel projects ‘by whatever means’
No excuses for next leader of party, Adam Bandt says, while Bob Brown warns they must also be able to take on Pauline Hanson and One Nation
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Source: Guardian World