The Greens’ federal leader is still chosen by the party room, but new leader David Shoebridge says members will have input before the next leadership decision. In Victoria, continuing rain and flash flooding have prompted more than 200 calls for help to the State Emergency Service, including six water rescues.
Who Gets a Say
Shoebridge said Greens members should have a say in choosing the party’s leadership. In a social media video captioned “your say on Greens leadership,” he said: “You absolutely should have a say in the leadership for the Greens”. He added: “The good news is Steph [Hodgins-May] and I are gonna make this happen.”
The pledge comes after the party room voted to select Shoebridge as leader. Mehreen Faruqi, who lost her leadership bid, also called for members to have input after the vote. Under the current arrangement, the party room makes the formal choice; Shoebridge says the conversation will reach Greens members across the organization, though he hasn’t yet defined a model.
He described the proposal as “a conversation we’re going to have right across the Greens. Every state and territory, hundreds and hundreds of branches, thousands and thousands of members, because members want to be engaged in this.” He didn’t commit to a specific model. Members have been promised a discussion and a change before the next federal leadership decision, not a settled process explaining how their views will determine the outcome.
Greens rules require a federal leadership decision after every federal election. Shoebridge said the party will hold the membership discussion and make a change during this term of parliament. Labor’s process uses both a party-room and membership vote; the Liberal and Nationals parties, like the Greens, choose their federal leaders through their party rooms. The next decision will still follow party rules, though members are being promised a role in shaping what happens before it.
Rain, Rescues and Warnings
Melbourne recorded 47.8mm of rain from 9am on Thursday at the Melbourne (Olympic Park) measuring station. That was the city’s highest daily rainfall since April 2024, said David Crock, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology.
Storms and flash flooding continued across much of Victoria. The State Emergency Service received more than 200 calls for help, including six water rescues. Those figures show the emergency response underway, but the update doesn’t name the callers or give further details about the people rescued.
Rain was expected to continue on Friday and Saturday, and a flood watch remained current for catchments across much of central and eastern Victoria. Crock said: “There is much more to come.” Conditions were expected to ease on Sunday as the low-pressure system moved offshore. Victoria recorded 47.8mm of rain at Melbourne (Olympic Park) from 9am on Thursday.