Queenslander Larissa Waters is the new Greens leader

Queensland Senator Larissa Waters has said Labor has a clear choice to make, as she revealed what her focus will be now as the new Greens leader.

Queensland Senator Larissa Waters has called for a “progressive parliament” and “politics with heart” after being elected leader of the Greens by “consensus” unopposed by any of her colleagues.

Ms Waters said there was a “lot of work to do” because people and the environment were “hurting”.

Greens’ whip and Tasmanian Senator Nick McKim announced the result of Greens’ partyroom discussion held in Melbourne on Thursday, confirming Ms Waters had been chosen as leader, while NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi was elected as deputy leader in a ballot.

Ms Faruqi was challenged by West Australian Senator Dorinda Cox, but won 9 votes to 3.

Ms Waters said as a former environmental lawyer and “proud feminist” she would “always work for equality ... nature and for the community”.

She said her approach to working with the Albanese Government would be “firm, but constructive”.

“The Labor Party have a choice,” she said.

“They can work with us ... and help people and protect nature.

“(Or) they can choose to work with the Coalition. They’re going to need to pick because they don’t have the numbers in the Senate to pass the legislation that they want to work on.

“We want the Labor party to be bold, and we want to help them to fix the problems that people are facing.”

Greens Senator Larissa Waters is now the leader of the minor party. Picture: Dan Peled / NewsWire

Her deputy, Ms Faruqi, was more critical of Labor saying it was a time to demand “more, not less” from the government.

“We are not going to take a step backwards,” she said.

“There is no more excuses for being timid.”

Ms Waters said her approach to the leadership would not be the same as her predecessor Mr Bandt, because she was a “different person”.

“People elected us to get shit done, and that’s what we intend to do in the service of people and the planet,” she said.

“Thankfully we can walk and chew gum at the same time.”

South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young was chosen as the Greens’ leader of business, also by “consensus” and unopposed.

The Greens do not formally nominate for positions or openly campaign for leadership, but ahead of the meeting one member said they were “confident” the chosen leader would be a woman.

They believed Ms Waters was a slight frontrunner, but cautioned the outcome was “difficult to predict”.

Larissa Waters, Mehreen Faruqi and Sarah Hanson-Young have been floated as the likely candidates for the Greens’ top job.

The Greens are famously opaque about their organisational processes, with their national conference to decide policies not open to the media like those held by the Liberals, Nationals and Labor.

Mr Bandt lost his seat of Melbourne to Labor after suffering a primary swing of 4.8 per cent against him, while fellow MPs, Queenslanders Stephen Bates in the seat of Brisbane and Max Chandler-Mather in Griffith, also fell.

The remaining Greens caucus of 12 – including 11 senators and remaining lower house member, Ryan MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown – will decide who replaces Mr Bandt, who had been leader since 2020.

During Adam Bandt’s leadership tenure, the Greens significantly expanded their focus beyond environment and climate. Picture: NewsWire/David Crosling

During Mr Bandt’s leadership tenure, the Greens significantly expanded their focus beyond environment and climate, gaining significant support from young Australians for social policies like putting dental into Medicare and increasing renters’ rights.

But Mr Bant last week attributed the loss of three seats, including his own, to voters turning away from the Liberals toward Labor.

“The Greens got the highest vote in Melbourne, but One Nation and Liberal preferences will get Labor over the line,” he said.

Ms Waters, Mr Faruqi and Ms Hanson-Young were contacted for comment.

On Tuesday, when asked about the leadership, Ms Waters said there was a “process to go through” and she “won’t be making any comment”.

Ms Waters said the party would “look closely” at the election result and “seek feedback” from members.

“But what we saw was some very close results,” she said.

“What we saw was when the two big parties gang up together and have the support from the fossil fuel billionaires running dirt campaigns against the Greens, then it’s very hard for a smaller party like the Greens to keep our seats.”

Originally published as Queenslander Larissa Waters is the new Greens leader