The Australian Greens, commonly referred to simply as the Greens, are a left-wing green Australian political party. As of 2025, the Greens are the third-largest political party in Australia by vote and the fourth-largest by elected representation.
The party was formed in 1992 as a confederation of eight state and territorial parties. In their early years, the party was largely built around the personality of well-known Tasmanian politician Bob Brown, before expanding its representation substantially in the early part of the 21st century. The party cites four core values as its ideology, namely ecological sustainability, social justice, grassroots democracy, and peace and non-violence. The party's origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia, the Franklin Dam controversy, the Green bans, and the nuclear disarmament movement. The party began with the United Tasmania Group, one of the first green parties in the world.
At the 2025 federal election, the Greens lost 3 of their previous 4 representatives in the House of Representatives and retained all 11 of their Senate seats. In 2020, the party had 15,000 members.
History
Formation
The origins of the Australian Greens can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group, one of the first green parties in the world, but also the nuclear disarmament movement in Western Australia and sections of the industrial left in New South Wales who were inspired by the Builders Labourers Federation Green bans in Sydney. Co-ordination between environmentalist groups occurred in the 1980s with various significant protests. Key people involved in these campaigns included Bob Brown and Christine Milne, who went on to contest and win seats in the Parliament of Tasmania and eventually form the Tasmanian Greens. Both Brown and Milne subsequently became leaders of the federal party.
The formation of the federal party in 1992 brought together over a dozen green groups, from state and local organisations, some of which had existed for 20 years. Following the formation of the national party in 1992, regional emphasis variations remained within the Greens, with members of the "industrial left" remaining a presence in the New South Wales branch. Brown resigned from the Tasmanian Parliament in 1993, and in 1996 he was elected as a senator for Tasmania, the first elected as an Australian Greens candidate.
Initially, the most successful Greens group during this period was The Greens (WA), which was still a separate organisation from the Australian Greens at the time. Vallentine was succeeded by Christabel Chamarette in 1992, and she was joined by Dee Margetts in 1993. However, Chamarette was defeated in the 1996 federal election. Margetts lost her seat in the 1998 federal election, leaving Brown as the sole Australian Greens senator.
Bob Brown's leadership (2001–2012) 2001 election and 39th parliament
In the 2001 federal election, Brown was re-elected as a senator for Tasmania, and a second Greens senator, Kerry Nettle, was elected in New South Wales. The Greens opposed the Howard government's Pacific Solution of offshore processing for asylum seekers, and opposed the bipartisan offers of support to ANZUS and the Afghanistan War by the government and Beazley Opposition in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. The party described the Afghanistan commitment in particular as "warmongering".Steve Letts PM explains Australian involvement in Afghan war . ABC Lateline, 25 October 2001. Retrieved 13 May 2012. Brown and Nettle's performance in the Senate increased voter support for the party, as it showcased that the Greens were not deep ecologists nor a single-issue environmentalist organisation, thus granting approval from disaffected Labor voters.
On 19 October 2002, the Greens won a House of Representatives seat for the first time when Michael Organ won the Cunningham by-election, triggered by the resignation of Labor member Stephen Martin.
2004 election and 40th parliament In the 2004 federal election, the Australian Greens fielded candidates in every House of Representatives seat in Australia. The Greens' primary vote rose by 2.3% to 7.2%. This won them two additional Senate seats, taken by Christine Milne in Tasmania and Rachel Siewert in Western Australia, bringing the total to four. In New South Wales, the Greens ran John Kaye as their lead Senate candidate but were unsuccessful due to unfavourable preference flows, and Organ lost his seat to Labor's Sharon Bird.
At the 2004 election, the Australian Greens replaced the Australian Democrats as the largest third party in elections, a title that they have held since.
2007 election and 41st parliament The Greens increased their national vote by 1.38 points to 9.04% at the 2007 federal election, with the election of South Australian senator Sarah Hanson-Young taking the number of Greens senators to five. Senators Bob Brown (Tas) and Kerry Nettle (NSW) were up for re-election, Brown was re-elected, but Nettle was unsuccessful, becoming the only Australian Greens senator to lose their seat despite increasing her vote from 2001.Double dissolution is an empty threat. The Age. Retrieved 10 February 2009.PM – Election reaches endgame. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
In November 2008, Senator Christine Milne was elected deputy leader in a ballot contested against Senator Rachel Siewert.
In 2009, the Greens and the Liberal Party voted to defeat Labor's emission trading scheme legislation after failed negotiations for an emissions cut target.
2010 election and 43rd parliament The 2010 federal election marked a high point for the Greens electorally, with the party receiving its largest vote to date and sharing the balance of power. The Greens received a four percent swing to finish with 13 percent of the vote in the Senate. The Greens won a seat in each of the six states at the election, bringing the party to a total of nine senators from July 2011, holding the balance of power in the Senate. The new senators were Lee Rhiannon in New South Wales, Richard Di Natale in Victoria, Larissa Waters in Queensland, Rachel Siewert in Western Australia, Penny Wright in South Australia and Christine Milne in Tasmania. Incumbents Scott Ludlam in Western Australia, Sarah Hanson-Young in South Australia and Bob Brown in Tasmania were not due for re-election. The Greens also won their first House of Representatives seat at a general election, the seat of Melbourne with candidate Adam Bandt, who was a crossbencher in the first hung parliament since the 1940 federal election. Almost two weeks after the election, the Greens agreed to support a Gillard Labor minority government on confidence and supply votes. Labor was returned to government with the additional support of three independent crossbenchers.Emma Rodgers: Greens sign deal to back Labor, ABC News, 1 September 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
Prior to the 2010 federal election, the Electrical Trades Union's Victorian branch donated $325,000 to the Greens' Victorian campaign – the largest political donation ever directed to the Party up to that time.
The Greens signed a formal agreement with the Australian Labor Party involving consultation in relation to policy and support in the House of Representatives in relation to confidence and supply and three of the independents declared their support for Labor on confidence and supply,'Labor day: Gillard retains grip on power' – ABC – Emma Rodgers (7 September 2010) – . Retrieved 8 September 2010. allowing Gillard and Labor to remain in power with a 76–74 minority government.
On 24 February 2011, in a joint press conference of the "Climate Change Committee" – comprising the Government, Greens and two independent MPs – Prime Minister Gillard announced a plan to legislate for the introduction of a fixed price to be imposed on "carbon pollution" from 1 July 2012 The carbon price would be placed for three to five years before a full emissions trading scheme is implemented, under a blueprint agreed by a multi-party parliamentary committee.Carbon price to begin from July 2012: Midday roundup Smartcompany.com. 24 February 2011. . Retrieved 13 May 2012. Key issues remained to be negotiated between the Government and the cross-benches, including compensation arrangements for households and businesses, the carbon price level, the emissions reduction target and whether or not to include fuel in the price.
In April 2012, Bob stepped down as leader of the Australian Greens, and retired from the Senate in June 2012.
Christine Milne's leadership (2012–2015) Christine Milne led the Australian Greens through the remainder of the minority parliament, after being elected unopposed.
2013 election and 44th parliament At the 2013 federal election, the House of Representatives (lower house) primary vote was 8.7 percent (−3.1) with the Senate (upper house) primary vote at 8.7 percent (−4.5). Despite receiving a decline in votes, the Greens representation in the parliament increased. Adam Bandt retained his Melbourne seat with a primary vote of 42.6 percent (+7.0) and a two-candidate preferred vote of 55.3 percent (−0.6). The Greens won four Senate positions, increasing their Senate representation from nine to ten senators.
At the 2014 Australian Senate special election in Western Australia, the Greens won in excess of a quota with the primary vote increasing from 9.5 to 15.6 percent, re-electing Scott Ludlam.
In December 2015, the Greens struck a deal with the Coalition government, passing a law requiring multinational private companies with a turnover over $200 million to disclose their tax arrangements. This law also made it mandatory for multinational companies with a global turnover of $1 billion or more to have to prepare "general purpose" financial statements, which disclose greater tax details than previously occurred in Australia. The following year the Coalition government and the Greens agreed on a permanent 15% tax rate for backpackers, in exchange for a $100 million funding boost to environmental stewardship not-for-profit Landcare.
Christine Milne stepped down from the leadership of the Australian Greens on 6 May 2015.
Richard Di Natale's leadership (2015–2020) Di Natale was elected unopposed as parliamentary leader of the Greens party room on 6 May 2015 following the resignation of Christine Milne from the position.
2016 election and 45th parliament At the 2016 federal election, the House of Representatives (lower house) primary vote increased to 10.23 percent (+1.58) but decreased in the Senate (upper house), with primary vote at 8.65 percent (−0.58). Adam Bandt was elected to a third term in his Melbourne seat with a primary vote of 43.75 percent (+1.13) and a two-candidate preferred vote of 68.48 percent (+13.21). Despite a campaign focus on winning additional seats in the lower house, The Greens failed to win any lower house contests.
The Greens also lost one Senate position in South Australia, decreasing their Senate representation from ten to nine senators, to a total of ten Green members in the Parliament of Australia. The result was seen as disappointing, and caused internal divisions to flare up, with former Federal Leader Bob Brown calling upon Senator Lee Rhiannon to resign, citing the "need for renewal".
In 2017, Greens Senators Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters were forced to resign during 2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis after it was found that Ludlam had dual Australian–New Zealand citizenship and Waters had dual citizenship with Canada. Subsequently, Adam Bandt and Rachel Siewert were named as temporary co-deputy leaders until the arrival of Ludlam and Waters' replacements in Canberra.
2019 election and 46th parliament