Larissa Waters

Larissa Joy Waters (born 8 February 1977) is an Australian politician and lawyer. She has been the leader of the Australian Greens since May 2025. She has also served as a Senator for Queensland from 2011 to 2017, and again since 2018.

Early life
Larissa Waters was born on 8 February 1977 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her Australian parents were in Canada working and studying, but the family left when Waters was an 11-month-old baby, and she grew up in Brisbane.

She has a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws from Griffith University. From 2000 to 2001, she was a legal researcher at the Queensland Land and Resources Tribunal. From 2001 to 2002, she was a lawyer at Freehills, and from 2002 to 2011 she was a lawyer with the Environmental Defenders Office.

Political career
Waters was first elected as a Senator for Queensland in 2010 and taking up her seat in 2011. She was forced to resign in 2017 because she was a Canadian citizen. Waters was re-appointed to the Senate in 2018 by the Queensland Government.

Waters was one of the Greens co-deputy leader from May 2015 to July 2017 and again from December 2018 to June 2022, and as her party's Senate leader from February 2020.

In May 2025, Waters was elected leader of the Australian Greens, following loss of the seat of Melbourne by then leader Adam Bandt in the 2025 federal election.

References

Other websites

 Australian Parliamentary biography
 Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Larissa Waters on TheyVoteForYou.org.au

Category:1977 births
Category:Living people
Category:Members of the Australian Senate
Category:Australian Greens politicians
Category:Naturalised citizens of Australia
Category:Politicians from Winnipeg
Category:Canadian lawyers
Category:Australian lawyers
Category:Politicians from Brisbane
Category:Researchers
Category:Australian activists
Category:Canadian activists