Larissa Waters

Senator

Larissa Waters
Campaign portrait, 2025
Leader of the Australian Greens
In office
15 May 2025 – 30 September 2026
DeputyMehreen Faruqi
Preceded byAdam Bandt
Succeeded byDavid Shoebridge
Senator for Queensland
Assumed office
6 September 2018
Preceded byAndrew Bartlett
In office
1 July 2011 – 18 July 2017
Succeeded byAndrew Bartlett
Party positions
Leader of the Greens in the Senate
In office
4 February 2020 – 15 May 2025
LeaderAdam Bandt
Co-Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens
In office
4 December 2018 – 10 June 2022
Serving with Nick McKim (2020–22)
Adam Bandt (2018–20)
Preceded byRachel Siewert
Succeeded byMehreen Faruqi
In office
6 May 2015 – 18 July 2017
Serving with Scott Ludlam (until 14 July 2017)
LeaderRichard Di Natale
Adam Bandt
Preceded byAdam Bandt
Succeeded byAdam Bandt and Rachel Siewert (acting)
Personal details
Born
Larissa Joy Waters

(1977-02-08) 8 February 1977 (age 49)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
CitizenshipAustralia
Canada (until 2017)
Political partyGreens
EducationGriffith University
OccupationLawyer
Signature
Websitegreens.org.au/mps/larissa-waters
Larissa Waters' voice
Waters speaking about her reaction to the 2026 Australian federal budget

Larissa Joy Waters (born 8 February 1977) is an Australian politician and lawyer. She was the leader of the Australian Greens from May 2025 until September 2026. She has also served as a Senator for Queensland from 2011 to 2017, and again since 2018.

Early life

Larissa Waters was born on 8 February 1977 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her Australian parents were in Canada working and studying, but the family left when Waters was an 11-month-old baby, and she grew up in Brisbane.

She has a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws from Griffith University. From 2000 to 2001, she was a legal researcher at the Queensland Land and Resources Tribunal. From 2001 to 2002, she was a lawyer at Freehills, and from 2002 to 2011 she was a lawyer with the Environmental Defenders Office.

Political career

Waters was first elected as a Senator for Queensland in 2010 and taking up her seat in 2011. She was forced to resign in 2017 because she was a Canadian citizen. Waters was re-appointed to the Senate in 2018 by the Queensland Government.

Waters was one of the Greens co-deputy leader from May 2015 to July 2017 and again from December 2018 to June 2022, and as her party's Senate leader from February 2020.

In May 2025, Waters was elected leader of the Australian Greens, following loss of the seat of Melbourne by then leader Adam Bandt in the 2025 federal election.

On 28 September 2026, Waters announced her resignation from the party's leadership to recover from kidney disease. She will also take medical leave from the Senate.

References

  1. ↑ "Senator Larissa Waters". Parliament of Australia. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  2. ↑ Dennehy, Kate (25 July 2010). "History beckons for Greens Senate contender". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  3. ↑ Gillett, Patrick (5 February 2009). "Queensland state Green party to run environmental lawyer in treasurer's electorate". Wikinews. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  4. ↑ Belot, Henry (18 July 2017). "Larissa Waters, deputy Greens leader, quits in latest citizenship bungle". abc.net.au. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "Larissa Waters returns to Greens Co-Deputy Leader role". Australian Greens. 4 December 2018.
  6. ↑ Fioritti, Nathan (15 May 2025). "Fresh start for the Greens, with new leader Larissa Waters". The Conversation. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  7. ↑ Crowley, Tom (15 May 2025). "Larissa Waters becomes Greens leader in 'consensus' decision". ABC News.
  8. ↑ Staszewska, Ewa (28 September 2026). "Larissa Waters stepping down as Greens leader due to illness". ABC News. Archived from the original on 28 September 2026. Retrieved 28 September 2026.

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