David Shoebridge says ‘we’re here to replace Labor’ in first remarks after being elected new Greens leader

New South Wales senator David Shoebridge has joined the race to become the Greens’ new leader, with an increasingly crowded field revealing splits among the 11-member party room.

Shoebridge said on Wednesday morning he would stand on a joint ticket with Victorian senator Steph Hodgins-May as his proposed deputy, facing off with the deputy leader, Mehreen Faruqi, and communications spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young.

Greens sources told Guardian Australia that Shoebridge was a strong favourite to win.

A result is expected as soon as Wednesday, with MPs gathering for a two-day party retreat following Larissa Waters’ shock resignation on Monday.

Shoebridge entered federal parliament in 2022, after more than a decade in NSW state politics. He holds the Greens’ defence and foreign affairs portfolios, and is a forceful presence in parliamentary debates, on social media and in Senate estimates hearings.

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Hodgins-May entered parliament in May 2024, filling a casual vacancy created by Janet Rice’s retirement.

“We are excited by what we can and must do together as Greens,” the pair said in a statement.

“This is the time to build our movement as the home for every Australia who wants action on the climate crisis, a fair return from our resources, a secure home and income, and not to sell out our independence to the US or the 1%.

“We do not seek to reform Labor, but to replace them.

“The answer to the rise of One Nation and the far right is giving people hope, and making people’s lives better with real economic and environmental security. It is as simple as a meal before school, as clear as no new coal and gas, and as challenging as holding back the wave of US billionaire tech bros and their vampire AI data centres.”

Waters revealed she would quit to focus on treatment for kidney disease, after her health had declined significantly since being elected leader in May last year. She is expected to take medical leave before returning to the Senate.

Faruqi said she would run on a joint ticket with the Tasmanian senator Nick McKim as her deputy.

Hanson-Young has previously sought the party’s leadership but been rebuffed by colleagues.

The party’s new leader will come under pressure to bring a more forceful approach to the job, amid frustrations with Waters’ more moderate style, and the party’s inability to exploit growing moves by voters away from Labor and the Coalition.

The former Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather on Tuesday called for the party’s membership to get a vote in the leadership race.

The former leader Adam Bandt, Chandler-Mather and MP Stephen Bates all lost their seats at the 2025 election, and One Nation has replaced the Greens as the third major force in federal politics.

Former leader Bob Brown told Guardian Australia the new leader needed to fight Pauline Hanson and Anthony Albanese more forcefully.