David Shoebridge elected Greens leader, faces party unity test

David Shoebridge has been elected as the new leader of the Australian Greens, winning a party-room vote on Wednesday after former leader Larissa Waters stepped down due to chronic kidney disease. He defeated challengers Mehreen Faruqi and Sarah Hanson-Young, securing seven votes to four in the final ballot. Shoebridge faced strong competition from Faruqi, who resigned as deputy leader to run, and Hanson-Young, who was eliminated after the first round. Hanson-Young acknowledged the contest's difficulty, while Faruqi expressed disappointment that grassroots members were excluded from the vote, which was limited to the party's 11 parliamentarians. Experts note Shoebridge lacks the public profile of his rivals and must unite a divided party amid an identity crisis between activist and pragmatic approaches. Political analysts say perceived division could hurt the Greens' popularity, though leadership changes have historically had limited impact on their vote share.