In a political landscape often defined by rigid party lines, one figure has carved a unique path from advising wealthy clients on tax avoidance to becoming what a senior Liberal MP calls "easily the most effective Green" in parliament. The story of Greens Senator David Shoebridge is one of dramatic personal and professional reinvention.
The Elevator Epiphany: A Career Pivots
The late 1990s found David Shoebridge working as a corporate lawyer, structuring finances and trusts to minimise tax for affluent clients. However, a growing sense of discomfort became impossible to ignore. The pivotal moment came during a routine elevator ride to his office. "I remember going up in the lift one morning and realising I just couldn't do it any more," Shoebridge recalls. He walked directly into his senior partner's office and resigned, declaring that helping people avoid tax was not where his life was headed.
That decision marked the beginning of a remarkable political journey. Initially, Shoebridge was a member of the Labor Party's Stanmore branch in Sydney's inner west, near where Anthony Albanese began his own political career. While he found the members to be decent people with left-wing views similar to his own, he grew frustrated. He observed resolutions for progressive change being consistently ignored. After about six months, he was told this was the norm, but that the branch persisted to "keep the flame alive." Shoebridge decided that wasn't his approach to politics and left the party.
Forging a Path as a Ferocious Advocate
Building a career as a barrister in employment law, Shoebridge's political destiny shifted in the early 2000s. Union clients sent him to state parliament to oppose Labor's proposed changes to workers' compensation. It was there he met the hard-left Greens MP Lee Rhiannon, who became a significant mentor. According to Greens co-founder Bob Brown, Rhiannon instilled in him a determination not to be diminished by labels like "radical."
This resilience defines his parliamentary style. Shoebridge admits he sometimes creates "theatre" to spotlight issues that might otherwise be overlooked. "I didn't get elected to parliament to join the club," he states. "I got elected to make it relevant to community movements." His confrontational approach has seen him arrested outside a prime minister's home, clash with defence chiefs, and vigorously challenge Australian military strategy.
This method has drawn fierce criticism. In 2023, Foreign Minister Penny Wong accused him of being "utterly irresponsible" for spreading disinformation about defence exports to Israel to score political points. Defence Minister Richard Marles, without naming Shoebridge, criticised those spreading misinformation for "self-publicity." Shoebridge found these attacks particularly cutting, describing them as "incredibly offensive and a downright lie."
Earning Respect Across the Aisle
Despite the clashes, Shoebridge's forensic work in Senate estimates hearings has won him unlikely praise from political opponents. Victorian Liberal Senator James Paterson, whose views on issues like AUKUS diverge sharply from Shoebridge's, acknowledges his effectiveness. "He is undeterred by often lame attempts by ministers and officials to avoid the question," Paterson says, praising him as one of the most impactful crossbenchers.
This respect extends to policy collaboration. Former NSW Liberal minister Victor Dominello recounts a walk in the Domain in mid-2016 where the two made a deal to work together on complex third-party insurance reform, a policy described as a "political graveyard." By agreeing to "put politics in the back pocket," they achieved groundbreaking reforms. Dominello credits Shoebridge's willingness to focus on policy over politics with showing "extraordinary integrity and leadership."
Now comfortably settled among his Greens colleagues in Canberra, where he feels his values are reflected in internal debates, the moment in that elevator nearly three decades ago seems a distant memory. David Shoebridge's journey from tax lawyer to a respected, if contentious, parliamentary warrior remains a testament to political conviction and unconventional crossbench influence.
