Breaking: Greens leader Larissa Waters steps down due to illness

Senator Larissa Waters was elected Greens leader last year. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)

Senator Larissa Waters has announced she is standing down as Greens leader due to ill health.

The Greens have revealed she has been managing an existing kidney disease, which has worsened in recent months.

The 49-year-old notified the party room of her decision to step away during a virtual meeting earlier this evening.

Senator Waters expressed gratitude for her stint as leader but admitted she needed to go at a "slower pace" as she focused on her recovery.

"It has been a tremendous honour to be leader of the Greens, fighting for people and the planet," she said in a statement on Monday evening.

The Queensland senator took on leadership in May 2025, replacing Adam Bandt after he lost his lower house seat in the 2025 election.

She was elected in a race against current deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi and manager of business in Senate Sarah Hanson-Young.

Senator Waters will take medical leave, but says she intends to return to work as soon as she can.

A partyroom meeting will be held in coming days to discuss the leadership, with ABC told a decision will be made sooner rather than later.

Senator Waters was first elected as a senator for Queensland in 2010, making her the second longest-serving member of the Greens partyroom behind senator Sarah Hanson-Young.