Richard Di Natale, who has been re-endorsed as leader, says the party’s main priority is tackling the climate change threat

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The Greens have flagged letting party members have a say in the appointment of the federal parliamentary leader, as Richard Di Natale has been re-endorsed as party leader after the traditional post-election spill of positions.

A meeting of the Greens party room on Wednesday resolved Di Natale would remain as leader, with Adam Bandt and Larissa Waters remaining in the deputy positions, assuming Waters takes the last Queensland Senate spot. Rachel Siewert is the whip and Janet Rice is the party room chair.

Di Natale has also pointed to a new process for the selection of the party leader, which could involve a split vote between the federal party room and grassroots party members, like the system Labor has federally.

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“Two years ago I began a conversation with our membership over how the leader of our parliamentary team is elected in future, so that it better reflects the rapid growth our party has experienced over the last 20 years,” Di Natale said after being reconfirmed as federal leader on Wednesday.

“I am very pleased with the level of positive engagement this conversation has generated within the party and I look forward to it continuing.”

Party co-convenors Willisa Hogarth and Catherine Garner also pointed to the new leadership selection process in confirming the results of the party room deliberation on Wednesday.

“Our party is in the midst of important discussions about how we support and grow our movement, engage with our members and address the social, economic and environmental challenges our country and our planet is facing,” the co-convenors said. “We, Richard and our whole party room, remain committed to this process.”

Direct election of the leader has been a matter of internal debate within the Greens for years but was given fresh impetus when Di Natale told the party’s national conference in 2016 that the party should consider the reform.

The Greens for Democratic Leadership group launched a petition in 2018 calling for signatures to force a plebiscite on direct election of the leader, to take effect after the 2019 election.

It was authorised by the Greens Brisbane councillor Jonathan Sri, who told Guardian Australia last April the group was calling for a “straightforward commonsense reform” that would ensure the leader was accountable to the membership.

With parliament set to resume in July, Di Natale said the Greens’ main priority was “tackling the existential threat of dangerous climate change and ensuring that no one is left behind as we undertake the transformation of our economy away from dirty, polluting fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas to a clean, green, jobs-rich economy powered by renewable energy” – although it is unclear how that can be advanced given Scott Morrison has said the Coalition will implement the policy it took to the election.

Di Natale also pointed to cost of living pressures, job insecurity and inequality as priorities.

The Greens are on track to retain the current level of Senate representation. The Morrison government will need four crossbench votes to pass its legislation in the new Senate.