Victorian Senator Richard Di Natale has announced today that he will step down immediately as leader of The Greens, and plans to leave the Senate before the next election.

Di Natale said the decision came down to wanting to spend more time with his family, and the stress of travel that comes with the Canberra gig.

“It’s a tough, demanding job. It’s been a privilege to do it,” Di Natale said this morning.

“But I’ve got to the point in my life where I’ve got two young boys… I want to be there for them.”

Di Natale came to parliament in 2010, taking the reins of The Greens leadership in 2015 after the surprise resignation of then leader Christine Milne.

Under Di Natale’s leadership, the Greens had been ardent supporters of marriage equality and LGBTIQ+ rights.

The party had advocated for a free vote on marriage equality instead of the government’s plebiscite, and pushed for protections for LGBTIQ+ teachers and students in religious schools – a debate that continues in the form of the government’s Religious Discrimination Bill.

Di Natale is set to remain in parliament until a replacement senator from Victoria has been chosen to fill his vacancy. The remaining ten parliamentary Greens will also vote on a new leader this week.

OIP Staff