As she prepares for her first sitting week as Greens leader, Larissa Waters is gearing up to push the Albanese government "as hard as we can" on environmental protection, climate and housing as the minor party seeks to make its mark in the 48th Parliament.
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"People elected us to fight for them, and to work for nature - and we intend to do that," Senator Waters, who has also made women's safety a personal focus, tells The Canberra Times.
After being elected unopposed as the party's new leader on May 15, saying at the time that she would take a "firm but constructive approach", the Queensland senator is quick to dispel any expectation she will be softer than her predecessor.
"Our task is to amplify the community's needs and to push as hard as we can ... whether or not the government wants to deliver fully what the community deserves and needs, it's really that's going to be their call."
Labor's thumping victory at the May 2025 federal election cost the Greens three of its previous four lower-house seats - including that of former leader and Melbourne MP Adam Bandt - while also handing the party the balance of power in the Senate.
The shock loss of inner-city seats previously held by Mr Bandt, along with former housing spokesperson and Griffith MP Max Chandler-Mather and former Brisbane MP Stephen Bates, sparked headlines accusing the Greens of having "lost their way".
The party has been criticised as obstructive for blocking legislation in the Albanese government's first term, with the Greens, routinely described as "extremist" by the Coalition, accused by Labor of being "wreckers".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has lumped the party with the Opposition in what he termed "the Noalition", telling the ABC in a post-election interview that his first-term government had to contend with "a Senate of blockers" and blaming this for the Greens' loss of seats.
Senator Waters rejects this, saying voters want and expect the Greens to push Labor to be more progressive and blaming the loss of lower-house seats on preference flows, noting the party's primary vote had held up nationally despite small but devastating swings in the electorates that mattered.
"I think that was a pretty positive endorsement of our plans," she says.
A major focus for the Greens this term will be advocating for the government's long-awaited environmental protection laws to include a requirement that projects be assessed for their impact on the climate.
In November, Mr Albanese shelved the government's bill to set up a national environmental protection agency - a 2022 election promise - after the Greens came close to a deal with then Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
New minister Murray Watt has promised to introduce redrafted legislation as soon as possible and has begun consulting with select environment groups, miners, business and farming chiefs.
Senator Waters says she is keeping "an open mind as to whether he wants to deliver real reforms".
But, she says, Senator Watt's decision to approve the extension of Woodside's North West Shelf gas project to 2070 in one of his first acts as minister was "a really bad step" that would not endear him to voters who "want to see nature protected".
"We will continue to keep pushing and pushing just to try and get good outcomes," Senator Waters says.
Polling by progressive think tank The Australia Institute suggests that most voters want the Senate to thoroughly scrutinise government policy, not just wave legislation through.
"The reality of it was that we passed good laws and we got great concessions; we've got more money spent on social housing, for example, through $1 billion there that we're all proud of," Senator Waters says.
"We're certainly not wreckers, but I think Labor was able to say to people that we were, and that's now something that we need to address."
The social housing victory, achieved in negotiations over the government's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund in 2023, precipitated a drawn-out stoush over bills to set up the Help to Buy and Build to Rent schemes, which the Greens would eventually wave through without any concessions.
The party had pushed for changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax, and a national cap on rent increases, in exchange for support, but was unsuccessful.
Senator Waters says the Greens stand by these policies.
"Whilst our approach might change in terms of our negotiating style, we still think the housing market is broken. We still think it needs fixing, so we'll keep working on that," she says.
She rejects the suggestion that the Greens had advocated for unrealistic policies, crediting pressure from the minor party with the Albanese government's move to wipe $20 billion worth of student debts and move towards a universal childcare system.
"Just look at the scoreboard," she says.
"We definitely have an impact ... I wouldn't be surprised if we did get dental into Medicare for adults."
Mr Albanese used his first major speech last month to say his government would "aim high, build big" in its second term, but has signalled he will not go beyond Labor's election commitments.
"It remains to be seen whether the government's got an appetite to be brave," Senator Waters says.
"They've got that choice to work with us and do good things, or they can, as everybody knows, choose to just work with the Coalition and just faff about the edges and not really change much.
"We would like to be the ones working with them to deliver good things, and we will push them as far as they will go, and they won't go as far as they should to really help people - that's why people vote Green."
