Albanese Pushes Back on New Greens Leader’s Plan to Replace Labor

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hit back at new Greens Leader David Shoebridge’s plan to replace Labor as a major party.

Speaking at a press conference in Tasmania, Albanese labelled the plan “somewhat concerning” and said the focus should instead have been on the “far right.”

“I think that at a time where we see a rise of a far-right wing party, Senator Shoebridge took the opportunity to actually criticise Labor,” he told reporters.

“Sounded a lot like some of the people who didn’t win their seats at the House of Representatives election last May.

“So the Greens political party, you know, I’m a Labor loyalist, we are a party of government, not a party of protest, and that’s the difference when you’re a party of government.”

The Greens were reduced to just one seat in the lower house in the May 2025 election, down from four.

Albanese’s comments come after Shoebridge and his new Deputy Leader Steph Hodgins-May outlined ambitions to replace Labor as the major left-wing party in Australia.

“We do not seek to reform Labor, but to replace them,” they said on Sep. 30.

Shoebridge took over as Greens leader from Larissa Waters on Sept. 30 after defeating NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi and South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young in the leadership ballot.

Waters stepped down earlier this week due to health issues.

Apart from targeting Labor, Shoebridge and Hodgins-May also explained how they planned to counter One Nation and the “far right” of politics.

“The answer to the rise of One Nation and the far right is giving people hope, and making people’s lives better with real economic and environmental security,” they said.

One Nation Leader Says Greens ‘Will Fall in A Heap’

Meanwhile, One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson took aim at the Greens for their “rhetoric.”

“They have nothing to offer the people of Australia. They want to open up the floodgates to mass migration,” she told News24 on Oct. 1.

“Then you’ve got the climate change debacle that’s going on. The Great Barrier reef is so pristine now.

“It’s all fear mongering that goes on all the time. I rarely ever hear them standing up for fighting for the ordinary average Australia out there, and it’s a real shame, but anyway, I think they’ll fall into a heap.”