Steph Hodgins-May becomes Greens deputy leader, vows tougher fight on climate

Steph Hodgins-May’s rise to deputy leader of the Australian Greens stems from personal loss and a shift from corporate law to climate advocacy. The death of her mother in the 2009 Samoa tsunami prompted her to quit law, after which she served as a negotiator at the United Nations and worked on Pacific climate and food-security projects for AusAid. She later led Pacific initiatives for Greenpeace Australia Pacific before contesting federal seats in Ballarat, Port Melbourne/Macnamara and challenging Labor’s Josh Burns in 2019 and 2022.

In 2024 she succeeded retiring senator Janet Rice in the Senate. Party veterans Bob Brown and Richard Di Natale commend her legal skill and resilience, noting her regional farming roots give her a unique perspective within the Greens. Inside parliament she is seen as a protest-oriented, hard-ball strategist determined to move beyond incrementalism, aiming to pressure Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government on climate and environmental policy.