The Greens party is set to convene a meeting next week to elect a new leader after Adam Bandt was unseated from his seat following 15 years of leadership. Acting leader Nick McKim announced that the decision will be made on Thursday, stating, “Our party is bigger than any of us, and we are ready to tackle the urgent issues confronting our nation.”
McKim, who has ruled himself out of the leadership race, expressed his confidence in the party’s selection process, noting that there are many capable individuals who could lead effectively. The leading candidates appear to be Mehreen Faruqi and Sarah Hanson-Young. Faruqi, currently the deputy leader and senator representing New South Wales, made history in 2013 as the first Muslim woman elected to any Australian parliament. Meanwhile, Hanson-Young, who has held her position in the Senate for South Australia since 2007, serves as the party’s spokesperson on environmental and climate matters.
The leadership change follows Bandt’s defeat in the seat of Melbourne, where he lost to Labor’s Sarah Witty in what has been described as a brutal federal election. Bandt’s exit marks him as the second federal party leader to lose his seat alongside Peter Dutton.
The upcoming meeting is crucial as the Greens prepare to navigate their future direction amidst ongoing national challenges.