Australian Greens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Australian Greens
Abbreviation	AG GRN
Leader	Larissa Waters
Deputy Leader	Mehreen Faruqi
Manager of Greens Business	Sarah Hanson-Young
Party Whip	Nick McKim
Founded	1992; 33 years ago (1992)
Headquarters	Braddon, Australian Capital Territory
Newspaper	Green Magazine
Think tank	The Green Institute
Youth wing	Young Greens
Membership (2020)	15,000
Ideology	Green politics Progressivism Left-wing populism
Political position	Left-wing
Regional affiliation	Asia-Pacific Greens
International affiliation	Global Greens
Colours	Green
Slogan	A Future for All of Us
Governing body	National Council
Party branches	ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA
House of Representatives	1 / 151
Senate	11 / 76
State and territorial governments	0 / 8
State and territory lower houses	20 / 465
State and territory upper houses	12 / 155
Party flag
Politics of Australia Political parties

The Australian Greens, often called just the Greens, are a political party in Australia. They are known for their focus on environmental issues and social fairness. In 2025, the Greens were the third biggest party in Australia based on votes. They were also the fourth largest in terms of elected members. After the 2025 federal election, Larissa Waters became the leader of the Greens, and Mehreen Faruqi became the deputy leader.

The party started in 1992. It brought together eight smaller parties from different states and territories. In the beginning, a well-known politician from Tasmania, Bob Brown, was very important to the party. The Greens grew a lot in the early 2000s. The party has four main beliefs: looking after the environment, fairness for everyone, people having a say, and peace. The Greens' roots come from early environmental efforts in Australia. This includes the fight to save the Franklin Dam, the "Green bans" (where workers refused to build things that harmed the environment), and the movement against nuclear weapons. The very first green party in the world, the United Tasmania Group, helped inspire the Greens.

After the 2025 federal election, the Australian Greens had eleven senators and one member in the House of Representatives. In 2020, the party had over 15,000 members.

History of the Australian Greens

How the Greens Started

Sydney Greens in the 1980s. They were the first Australian political group to use the name "Green".

The Australian Greens began with early environmental groups in Australia. One of the first "green parties" in the world, the United Tasmania Group, was formed here. Other groups that inspired the Greens included those fighting against nuclear weapons in Western Australia. Also, some workers in New South Wales were inspired by the Builders Labourers Federation's "Green bans". These bans stopped building projects that would harm the environment.

In the 1980s, environmental groups worked together on big protests. Important people like Bob Brown and Christine Milne were part of these campaigns. They later won seats in the Parliament of Tasmania and helped create the Tasmanian Greens. Both Brown and Milne later became leaders of the federal Greens party.

When the federal party officially formed in 1992, it joined over a dozen green groups. These groups came from different states and local areas. Some had been around for 20 years. Even after the national party formed, some differences remained. For example, the New South Wales branch still had members focused on industrial worker issues. Bob Brown left the Tasmanian Parliament in 1993. In 1996, he became a senator for Tasmania. He was the first person elected as an Australian Greens candidate.

At first, the most successful Greens group was The Greens (WA). This group was separate from the Australian Greens at the time. Senator Jo Vallentine was replaced by Christabel Chamarette in 1992. Dee Margetts joined her in 1993. However, Chamarette lost her seat in the 1996 federal election. Margetts also lost her seat in the 1998 federal election. This left Bob Brown as the only Australian Greens senator.

The Bob Brown Years (2001–2012)

Early 2000s Growth

Bob Brown explains the Greens' climate change plans before the 2007 federal election.

In the 2001 federal election, Bob Brown was re-elected as a senator for Tasmania. A second Greens senator, Kerry Nettle, was elected in New South Wales. The Greens did not agree with the government's plan to send asylum seekers to offshore processing centers. They also opposed Australia's support for the wars in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks. The party called the Afghanistan commitment "warmongering." Brown and Nettle's work in the Senate showed voters that the Greens were not just about one environmental issue. This helped them gain support from voters who were unhappy with the Labor party.

First House of Representatives Win

On 19 October 2002, the Greens won a seat in the House of Representatives for the first time. Michael Organ won the Cunningham by-election. In the 2004 federal election, the Australian Greens had candidates in every House of Representatives seat. The Greens' main vote went up by 2.3% to 7.2%. This helped them win two more Senate seats. Christine Milne won in Tasmania and Rachel Siewert won in Western Australia. This brought their total number of senators to four.

More Senators and Influence

The Greens' national vote increased to 9.04% in the 2007 federal election. Sarah Hanson-Young was elected as a senator for South Australia, bringing the total number of Greens senators to five. Bob Brown was re-elected, but Kerry Nettle lost her seat.

In November 2008, Senator Christine Milne became the deputy leader. In 2009, the Greens and the Liberal Party voted against the Labor government's plan for an emissions trading scheme.

A Big Election for the Greens (2010)

The 2010 federal election was a very successful time for the Greens. The party received its highest number of votes ever. They also gained the balance of power in the Senate. This meant they could decide if new laws passed or not. The Greens' vote in the Senate increased by four percent to 13 percent. They won a Senate seat in every state, bringing their total to nine senators from July 2011.

The Greens also won their first seat in the House of Representatives at a general election. Adam Bandt won the seat of Melbourne. He became a "crossbencher" in the first "hung parliament" since 1940. A hung parliament means no major party has enough seats to form a government on its own. Almost two weeks after the election, the Greens agreed to support a Gillard Labor minority government. This meant they would vote with Labor on important issues like "confidence and supply" (keeping the government in power).

In April 2012, Bob Brown stepped down as leader of the Australian Greens. He retired from the Senate in June 2012.

The Christine Milne Years (2012–2015)

Christine Milne became the leader of the Australian Greens after Bob Brown. She led the party through the rest of the minority parliament.

2013 Federal Election

In the 2013 federal election, the Greens' main vote in the lower house was 8.7 percent. Their vote in the upper house was also 8.7 percent. Even though their votes went down, the Greens gained more members in parliament. Adam Bandt kept his Melbourne seat. The Greens won four Senate positions, increasing their total number of senators from nine to ten.

2015 Agreements

In December 2015, the Greens made a deal with the government. They passed a law that made large international companies share their tax information. The next year, the government and the Greens agreed on a permanent tax rate for backpackers. In return, environmental groups like Landcare received $100 million in funding.

Christine Milne stepped down as leader of the Australian Greens on 6 May 2015.

The Richard Di Natale Years (2015–2020)

Richard Di Natale became the leader of the Greens on 6 May 2015.

In the 2016 federal election, the Greens' main vote in the lower house increased to 10.23 percent. However, it decreased in the upper house to 8.65 percent. Adam Bandt was elected for a third time in his Melbourne seat. Even though the Greens tried to win more seats in the lower house, they did not win any new ones.

The Greens also lost one Senate position in South Australia. This meant their Senate representation went from ten to nine senators. This brought their total number of Green members in the Parliament of Australia to ten. This result was seen as disappointing.

2019 Election

In the 2019 federal election, the Australian Greens received 10.4% of the main vote in the House of Representatives. The party kept the federal seat of Melbourne with Adam Bandt.

In the Senate, the Greens gained more votes in most states. All six Greens senators who were up for re-election kept their seats. These included Senators Mehreen Faruqi, Janet Rice, Larissa Waters, Sarah Hanson-Young, Jordon Steele-John and Nick McKim.

On 3 February 2020, Richard Di Natale resigned as leader of the Greens. He also announced he would leave the Senate.

The Adam Bandt Years (2020–2025)

On 4 February 2020, Adam Bandt became the leader of the Australian Greens.

2022 Election Success

All Greens members in federal parliament after the 2022 election.

For the 2022 federal election, the Greens aimed to win nine key seats. Adam Bandt believed that a "hung parliament" was likely. He said the Greens would work with Labor to "kick the Liberals out" and push for stronger action on climate change.

The party had its best election result ever. They won three seats in inner Brisbane: Elizabeth Watson-Brown in Ryan, Stephen Bates in Brisbane, and Max Chandler-Mather in Griffith. This increased their number of members in the House of Representatives to four. They also won a Senate seat in every state, increasing their total to 12 senators. The new senators were Barbara Pocock, David Shoebridge and Penny Allman-Payne. This gave them the "balance of power" in the Senate.

On 6 February 2023, Victorian Greens senator Lidia Thorpe left the Greens to become an independent senator. This was due to disagreements about the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

In March 2024, the Greens announced they would try to pass a law to reduce the power of the two big supermarket chains, Woolworths and Coles Group. They wanted to force them to sell some of their businesses.

2025 Election Losses

The Greens lost party leader Adam Bandt in the seat of Melbourne. They also lost Stephen Bates in Brisbane and Max Chandler-Mather in Griffith in the 2025 federal election. The Labor party won all three of these seats.

The Larissa Waters Years (2025–Present)

Queensland Senator Larissa Waters became the party leader on 15 May 2025. Mehreen Faruqi continued as deputy leader. Sarah Hanson-Young was expected to run for leader but was instead elected as the Manager of Greens Business.

What the Greens Believe In

The Australian Greens are part of the worldwide "green politics" movement. Party Leader Adam Bandt says the Greens are a social democratic party. The Greens' main beliefs are: "fairness for everyone", "looking after the environment", "people having a say" and "peace and non-violence".

Key Policy Ideas

Environment and Climate Change

The party supports environmentalism. This includes more recycling, stopping the use of single-use plastics, and protecting nature. They also want to stop species extinction, habitat loss, and deforestation in Australia.

The Greens want Australia to use 100% renewable energy by 2030. They propose a "Green New Deal" to invest in renewable energy technology. This would also help Australian factories make things like solar panels and wind turbines. The party wants a publicly owned energy company to boost renewable energy and lower electricity prices. To help with clean energy, they support more lithium mining. The Greens also have plans to create jobs in building public housing to help with homelessness in Australia.

Money and Fairness

The Greens do not support tax cuts that only help the richest people. They believe this leads to unfair differences in wealth. The Greens think all important services, like healthcare and education, need enough money. They also want to bring back a publicly owned bank. The party wants a special tax on big company profits and a wealth tax on billionaires. They also want to stop large international companies from avoiding taxes.

The party wants to improve welfare support. They suggest building more affordable social housing to solve housing shortages and homelessness. The party also wants to set limits on how much rent can increase. The Greens propose increasing all income support payments to $88 a day. To help students, the party wants to cancel all student debt. The Greens also support free childcare and free public transport. Finally, the Greens want to increase the minimum wage.

Green politicians have also campaigned for free university and TAFE (technical training). The party is against higher fees for degrees and cuts to university funding. They have also asked for more money for public schools.

Health

The party supports universal health care. They want to expand Medicare to cover dental care and mental health care.

Social Issues

The Greens are known for speaking out on many social issues. These include the legalisation of marriage equality, the right for people to seek asylum, and gender equality. The Greens also support policies to make Australian democracy stronger and "clean up politics." This includes limiting political donations and creating a federal anti-corruption watchdog.

Farming

For farming, the party strongly supports policies that help animals and make farms stronger against climate change. The Greens want to reduce soil and water degradation. They believe in community-led decisions and supporting farmers affected by climate change.

Animal Welfare

The Greens want to stop live animal exports. Instead, they want to invest in Australia's local meat industry. The Greens have also campaigned to ban greyhound racing, whaling, and animal-tested cosmetics. The party believes in stopping caged egg production and sow stalls. They prefer ethical farming practices. The party also wants to reduce methane emissions from livestock through research and better animal health.

International Relations

On international policy, the party says it wants "Independent, transparent and accountable foreign and defence policies based on mutual respect."

Voting System

The party supports proportional representation in the House of Representatives and local government. This means that the number of seats a party gets should be similar to the percentage of votes they receive.

How the Greens are Organized

Parliament

Federal Leaders

On 12 November 2005, the Australian Greens decided to have an official leader. Before this, they did not have one. On 28 November 2005, Bob Brown was elected as the first Parliamentary Party Leader. He had been seen as the unofficial leader for a long time. Each leader is thought to represent a different group within the party.

The leader is chosen by agreement within the group of Greens members in parliament. If they cannot agree, they vote. All past Greens leaders have been elected without anyone else running against them (as of 2025).

Parliamentary Roles

Greens members of parliament are given different roles, called "portfolios." These are specific areas they are responsible for. The Greens have created a "Gun Control" portfolio, which is not a standard government role.

The Greens divide their portfolios into five main groups: "an equal society," "world-class essential services," "climate and the environment," "the green economy," and "a confident Australia."

National Council

The Australian Greens are organized like a federation. This means that different state parties are part of a national group. But they still have a lot of freedom to make their own policies and run their own organizations. The main decision-making group for the Australian Greens is the National Council. It includes representatives from each state or territory Greens party. It also has two members from the federal parliament, a representative from the Australian Greens First Nations Network (AGFNN, or Blak Greens), and national office holders. These office holders include the National Convenor, Secretary, and Treasurer. In May 2020, all seven of these positions were held by women. The National Council makes decisions by trying to reach an agreement. All policies made by this group must be approved by the members of the Australian Greens at their National Conference.

State and Territory Parties

The Australian Greens is made up of eight parties from each state and territory. Each state and territory in Australia has different voting systems. All of these systems allow the Greens to win seats. As of 2024, the Greens hold at least one seat in all eight state and territory parliaments.

Five Greens members have become ministers at the state or territory level. These include Nick McKim and Cassy O'Connor in Tasmania (2010–2014). In the ACT, Shane Rattenbury has been a minister since 2012. Emma Davidson and Rebecca Vassarotti have been ministers since 2020.

Most state Green parties do not have one formal leader. Instead, they have a shared leadership structure. However, Tasmania, Victoria, and the ACT Greens have chosen to have single leaders for their parties.

The current Australian Green member parties are:

Working Groups

The Australian Young Greens logo.

The National Council has set up different "working groups." All Greens members can join these groups. Working groups give advice by creating new policies or looking at how the party is run.

The Australian Young Greens is a group of Young Greens from each Australian state and territory. They form the youth part of the Australian Greens.

Who Supports the Greens?

The Greens usually get support from younger voters who have a higher level of education. The Greens gained many supporters from the Australian Democrats party after it became less popular. The Greens have taken on many of the social and environmental policies that the Democrats used to support. Like the Democrats, the Greens have more supporters who have gone to university, are under 40, work in professional jobs, own small businesses, and earn more than the average wage. It's also worth noting that more working-class people have started supporting the Greens since the party began.

In 2020, a political scientist named Todd Farrell found that Greens supporters are very loyal to the party. This suggests a shift in Australian politics, moving away from the main Labor and Liberal parties.

Election Results

House of Representatives

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Status
1993	None	196,702	1.83	0 / 147		5th	No seats
1996		188,994	1.74	0 / 148		6th	No seats
1998		238,035	2.14	0 / 148		6th	No seats
2001		569,074	4.96	0 / 150		5th	No seats
2004		841,734	7.19	0 / 150		3rd	No seats
2007	Bob Brown	967,789	7.79	0 / 150		3rd	No seats
2010		1,458,998	11.76	1 / 150	1	3rd	Confidence and supply
2013	Christine Milne	1,116,918	8.65	1 / 150		3rd	Crossbench
2016	Richard Di Natale	1,385,651	10.23	1 / 150		3rd	Crossbench
2019		1,482,923	10.40	1 / 151		3rd	Crossbench
2022	Adam Bandt	1,795,985	12.25	4 / 151	3	3rd	Crossbench
2025		TBA	TBA	1 / 151	3	3rd	Crossbench

Senate

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats		+/–	Position	Status
				Up	Total
1990	None	201,618	2.0	0 / 40	0 / 76		5th	No seats
1993		263,106	2.5	0 / 40	0 / 76		5th	No seats
1996		180,404	1.7	0 / 40	0 / 76		5th	No seats
1998		244,165	2.2	0 / 40	1 / 76		5th	Crossbench
2001		574,543	4.9	2 / 40	2 / 76	1	4th	Crossbench
2004		916,431	7.7	2 / 40	4 / 76	2	4th	Crossbench
2007	Bob Brown	1,144,751	9.0	3 / 40	5 / 76	1	3rd	Crossbench
2010		1,667,315	13.1	6 / 40	9 / 76	4	3rd	Crossbench
2013	Christine Milne	1,159,588	8.6	4 / 40	10 / 76	1	3rd	Crossbench
2016	Richard Di Natale	1,197,657	8.7	9 / 76	9 / 76	1	3rd	Crossbench
2019		1,488,427	10.2	6 / 40	9 / 76		3rd	Crossbench
2022	Adam Bandt	1,903,403	12.6	6 / 40	12 / 76	3	3rd	Crossbench
2025		TBA	TBA	6 / 40	11 / 76		3rd	Crossbench

Maps

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  2022 Australian federal election results for the Greens.

Current Federal Parliamentarians

House of Representatives

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  Elizabeth Watson-Brown MP (Ryan, Qld), 2022–present

Senate

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  Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (SA), 2008–present

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  Senator Larissa Waters (Qld), 2011–2017, 2018–present

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  Senator Peter Whish-Wilson (Tas), 2012–present

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  Senator Nick McKim (Tas), 2015–present

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  Senator Jordon Steele-John (WA), 2017–present

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  Senator Mehreen Faruqi (NSW), 2018–present

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  Senator Dorinda Cox (WA), 2021–present

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  Senator David Shoebridge (NSW), 2022–present

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  Senator Barbara Pocock (SA), 2022–present

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  Senator Penny Allman-Payne (Qld), 2022–present

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  Senator Steph Hodgins-May (Vic), 2024–present

Former Federal Parliamentarians

• Senator Jo Vallentine, 1990–1992, Greens WA (first elected in 1984 for the Nuclear Disarmament Party)
• Senator Christabel Chamarette, 1992–1996, Greens WA
• Senator Dee Margetts, 1993–1999, Greens WA
• Senator Bob Brown (Tas), 1996–2012
• Michael Organ MP (Cunningham, NSW), 2002–2004
• Senator Kerry Nettle (NSW), 2002–2008
• Senator Christine Milne (Tas), 2005–2015
• Senator Rachel Siewert (WA), 2005–2021
• Senator Scott Ludlam (WA), 2008–2017
• Senator Richard Di Natale (Vic), 2011–2020
• Senator Lee Rhiannon (NSW), 2011–2018
• Senator Penny Wright (SA), 2011–2015
• Senator Janet Rice (Vic), 2014–2024
• Senator Robert Simms (SA), 2015–2016
• Senator Andrew Bartlett (Qld), 2017–2018
• Senator Lidia Thorpe (Vic), 2020–2023
• Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, QLD), 2022-2025
• Stephen Bates (Brisbane, QLD), 2022-2025
• Adam Bandt (Melbourne, VIC) 2010-2025

Senators Vallentine, Chamarette, and Margetts were elected as Greens (WA) senators. They served before the Greens WA joined the Australian Greens. This means they were not considered Australian Greens senators at that time.

For current and former state parliamentarians, see the List of Australian Greens parliamentarians.

Other Important Members

• Clive Hamilton, Greens candidate for the 2009 Higgins by-election
• Chris Harris, former Greens Councillor for the City of Sydney
• Jean Jenkins, former Democrats Senator for Western Australia
• Jack Mundey, a union leader involved in the green bans
• Janet Powell, former Democrats leader
• Peter Singer, a moral philosopher and Greens candidate for the 1994 Kooyong by-election
• Brian Walters SC, a human rights lawyer and candidate for the state seat of Melbourne in 2010
• Andrew Wilkie, former Greens candidate and independent federal member for Denison (2010–19) and Clark (2019–present)
• Julian Burnside AO QC, a well-known lawyer and human rights advocate. He was a candidate for the federal seat of Kooyong in the 2019 federal election.
• Jason Ball, a former Australian rules football player and mental health advocate. He was a candidate for Higgins in the 2019 federal election.

Donors to the Greens

The Greens receive money from various donors. For the 2015–2016 financial year, some of the largest donors included Graeme Wood ($500,000) and Duncan Turpie ($500,000). The Electrical Trades Union of Australia also donated $320,000.

Since 2017, the Australian Greens have shared information about donations over $1,000 as soon as they receive them. They do this to make politics more open and honest.

Images for kids

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  2022 Australian federal election results for the Greens.

See Also

In Spanish: Verdes Australianos para niños

• List of Australian Greens parliamentarians