Who is David Shoebridge?
David Shoebridge was born in Sydney in 1971 and studied arts and law at the University of Sydney. He worked as a solicitor and, from 2003 to 2010, as a barrister before entering parliament. He served in the New South Wales Legislative Council for the Greens from 2010 to 2022, where he was known for work on government accountability and policing. He was elected to the Senate for New South Wales in 2022 and held Greens portfolios including justice, defence, immigration and foreign affairs. After Larissa Waters stepped down as leader on 28 September 2026, citing health reasons, he won a party room ballot on 30 September 2026 ahead of Mehreen Faruqi and Sarah Hanson-Young, with Steph Hodgins-May elected deputy.
Previously: Senator for New South Wales (since July 2022) · Greens spokesperson on portfolios including justice, defence, immigration and foreign affairs (2022-2026) · Member of the NSW Legislative Council (2010-2022) · Woollahra councillor (2004-2012)
Documented positions
- Calls for taxing corporate wealth, citing government data that more than 1,000 companies paid no tax in 2025.Source: thenightly.com.au
- Opposes the AUKUS security pact and has campaigned against it with his deputy.Source: thenightly.com.au
- With his deputy, has called for no new coal or gas projects and said the Greens aim to replace Labor rather than reform it.Source: reneweconomy.com.au
- As Greens spokesperson, led the party's push to legalise cannabis for adults, citing Parliamentary Budget Office costings.Source: crikey.com.au
- Leads a party that would provide free GP appointments and bring dental and mental health care into Medicare.Source: greens.org.au
- As immigration spokesperson in 2025, announced a Greens commitment to end offshore detention of people seeking asylum and hold a Royal Commission into immigration detention.Source: greens.org.au
- Names housing and climate as national crises and cost of living as a leading priority.Source: thenightly.com.au
- In July 2025 called for sanctions on Israel comparable to those Australia applied to Russia, including ending the two-way arms trade.Source: greens.org.au
Record
Shoebridge has not held ministerial office. In the NSW parliament and the Senate he has focused on policing, civil liberties, defence oversight and digital rights, and is known for his questioning in Senate estimates. As foreign affairs spokesperson in 2025 he called for Russia-style sanctions on Israel, which Prime Minister Albanese dismissed as slogans. Since becoming leader he has made corporate tax and cost of living central priorities, and press reports have noted tension with Mehreen Faruqi after the leadership contest.
Supporters cite his work on government accountability and his focus on corporate tax and cost of living. Critics, including Labor and the Coalition, describe Greens policies on taxation, AUKUS and fossil fuels as unaffordable or unrealistic, and some critics objected to his statements on Israel.
In their words
“We are not here to manage a broken system. We are here to replace it.”
