Larissa Waters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larissa Waters
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| Leader of the Australian Greens | |
| Assumed office 15 May 2025 |
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| Deputy | Mehreen Faruqi |
| Preceded by | Adam Bandt |
| Leader of the Greens in the Senate | |
| In office 4 February 2020 – 15 May 2025 |
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| Leader | Adam 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) |
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| Leader | Richard Di Natale Adam Bandt |
| Preceded by | Rachel Siewert |
| Succeeded by | Mehreen Faruqi |
| In office 6 May 2015 – 18 July 2017 Serving with Scott Ludlam (until 14 July 2017)
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| Preceded by | Adam Bandt |
| Succeeded by | Adam Bandt and Rachel Siewert (acting) |
| Senator for Queensland | |
| Assumed office 6 September 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Andrew Bartlett |
| In office 1 July 2011 – 18 July 2017 |
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| Succeeded by | Andrew Bartlett |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Larissa Joy Waters
8 February 1977 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Citizenship | Australia Canada (until 2017) |
| Political party | Greens |
| Residences | Pullenvale, Queensland, Australia |
| Alma mater | Griffith University |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Larissa Joy Waters (born 8 February 1977) is an Australian politician and lawyer. She is currently the leader of the Australian Greens political party. She became leader in May 2025.
Larissa Waters has also served as a Senator for Queensland. She was a Senator from 2011 to 2017, and then again from 2018 until now. A Senator is a person elected to represent their state or territory in the Australian Parliament.
Waters was first elected as a Senator in 2010, starting her term in 2011. In July 2017, she had to leave the Senate. This was because she also held Canadian citizenship. Australian law says that members of parliament can only be Australian citizens. After giving up her Canadian citizenship, Waters was re-appointed to the Senate in 2018. She has also been a co-deputy leader of the Greens and the leader of the Greens in the Senate.
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Early Life and Education
Larissa Waters was born on 8 February 1977 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her parents were Australian and were working and studying in Canada at the time. When she was 11 months old, her family moved back to Australia. She grew up in Brisbane, Queensland.
Waters went to primary school in Rainworth. She completed her high school education at Kelvin Grove State High School.
She studied at Griffith University, where she earned degrees in Science and Law. She also completed a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. Before becoming a politician, Waters worked as a lawyer. She worked for the Environmental Defenders Office, which helps protect the environment through legal action.
Political Career
Larissa Waters has been involved in politics for many years. She first ran for office in Queensland state elections. She was the main candidate for the Greens in Queensland for the federal election in 2007.
In the 2010 federal election, Waters was elected as a Senator for Queensland. This was a big step for her political career. In May 2015, she became a "co-deputy leader" of the Greens. She shared this role with Scott Ludlam. Richard Di Natale became the party leader at that time. Waters was re-elected as a Senator in the 2016 election.
Resignation from the Senate
On 18 July 2017, Waters had to resign from the Senate. It was discovered that she was a dual citizen of both Canada and Australia. The Australian Constitution has a rule (Section 44) that says a person cannot be elected to parliament if they are a citizen of another country.
Waters stated that she believed she was only an Australian citizen. She found out she had held Canadian citizenship since birth. This discovery led to a number of other politicians checking their citizenship status. Her Senate seat was then filled by Andrew Bartlett.
On 8 August 2017, Waters announced that she had given up her Canadian citizenship. She said she planned to run for parliament again in the future. The High Court later confirmed that she was not validly elected in 2016 because of her dual citizenship.
Return to Parliament
On 3 April 2018, Waters was announced as the Greens' lead Senate candidate for the next federal election. On 16 June 2018, Andrew Bartlett announced he would resign from the Senate. Waters was chosen to fill his vacant seat. On 6 September 2018, the Queensland Parliament officially re-appointed Waters to the Senate. She also returned to her role as co-deputy leader of the Greens on 4 December 2018.
Waters was re-elected as a Senator for Queensland in the 2019 federal election. She received a strong number of votes in her favour.
In February 2020, the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, resigned. Adam Bandt became the new leader. Since Bandt was a member of the House of Representatives, Waters became the leader of the Greens in the Senate. She was the second woman to hold this position.
Leader of the Australian Greens
Larissa Waters became the leader of the Australian Greens in May 2025. This happened after Adam Bandt lost his seat in the 2025 Australian federal election. Waters was chosen from several other Senators and one Member of Parliament who also wanted the leadership role.
As of July 2025, Larissa Waters is the second-longest serving Green in the Australian Parliament. Only Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has served longer.
Political Focus
Larissa Waters is passionate about several important issues. These include:
- Protecting the environment.
- Working towards gender equality, meaning equal rights and opportunities for all genders.
- Ending gender-based violence, which is violence directed at someone because of their gender.
- Addressing the influence of large donations from companies in politics.
Personal Life
Larissa Waters has two children. Her first child was born in 2009. Her second child was born in 2016. In 2017, her baby made Australian political history. This was because the baby became the first to be breastfed in the Senate chamber.
