Greens leader respects vote on Senate spot

If there's one thing the Australian Greens leader has learned in 20 years of involvement with the party, it's that the membership is always right.

Even when it comes to demoting an incumbent, as has happened to NSW senator Lee Rhiannon.

Mehreen Faruqi, a Greens MP in the NSW upper house, won the preselection vote for the top spot on the next federal Senate ticket, beating out Senator Rhiannon who is now likely to lose her place in parliament.

Party leader Richard Di Natale says he respects the decisions of Greens members.

"Regardless of the decision, it's the right decision," he told ABC TV on Sunday.

"One of the great things about our party is that decisions - whether they be preselection of candidates, policy decisions - they are decisions that are made by our members."

He thanked Senator Rhiannon and Dr Faruqi.

He says he looks forward to campaigning with the latter, describing her as someone who has stood up for women's rights, is a proud Muslim and will bring diversity into the Senate, as well as being a wonderful voice for multicultural Australia.

Senator Rhiannon was temporarily suspended from the Australian Greens party room earlier this year, sparking internal tensions and calls for her resignation.

The incident brought to light long-running divisions between her left faction and the party's right and centrists, including Senator Di Natale.

Former Greens leader Bob Brown accused her of being a "team wrecker" and urged her to retire.

Senator Di Natale says he and Senator Rhiannon shared a view about the importance of policies that would urgently transform Australia, address inequality, move away from coal power to renewables, and show decency to asylum seekers.