Johnathan Davis, former member for Brindabella, resigned from the Legislative Assembly earlier this month. But his successor, announced in a callback of votes today, is once again both an ACT Green and the youngest member of the Assembly – indeed the youngest Greens politician in the country: 24–year-old Laura Nuttall.

“I’m elated and honoured to represent the people of Brindabella,” Ms Nuttall said. “I’m very excited as the first Gen Z representative here in this Parliament. I don’t think we should stop there for young people. We’re going to be the ones living with the policies of this government for the longest time to come, so I think we need a voice as soon as possible, and as early as possible.

“I joined the Greens and started getting active because I really fundamentally care about people and about the environment.”

Ms Nuttall said she will listen to her electorate, and take her cues from what they want.

“As a representative, it’s my job to get as much love as possible down south, a little bit of TLC, so that’s what I’ll be working towards.”

On a larger scale, Ms Nuttall wants to fix the inequality crisis; advocate for policies that help young people, like better rent controls; and look after Namadgi National Park (two-thirds of the area of her electorate).

“I plan on bringing my 110 per cent; I think the people of Brindabella are 100 per cent worth it, and I just want to be a conduit for the ideas of the really smart people around me and all the people in the community.”

Ms Nuttall graduated in July from the Australian National University with a degree in Asia Pacific studies, politics, philosophy, and economics, then worked with Libraries ACT. She joined the Greens in 2018 to push for faster action on climate change and refugee rights, and worked for more than two years as a part-time Greens policy adviser, which she believes gives her some insight into ACT politics.

“I’m so lucky to have had experience in the Assembly, and a basic understanding of how it works,” Ms Nuttall said.

“I got my passion working on sports policy, looking at things like blue-green algae, and hearing from all the constituents coming to us with issues that they needed solving. I’m hoping to continue to channel that passion and that understanding of the way the Assembly works to bring as many voices forward as possible.”

While Ms Nuttall’s youth has concerned some commentators, both she and ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury believe that is an advantage.

“A Legislative Assembly is made up of 25 representatives,” Ms Nuttall said. “Until now, we haven’t had a single Gen Z voice in parliament. Gen Z people are voting age, we’re the ones dealing with the brunt of the housing crisis and the cost of living. I myself am a renter, and have found it really tough in the past to get by. I think that adding that voice to the table is a really important element.”

“It’s good to see such a young person coming forward who’s full of ideas and energy, who is a great listener, but also has their own views on the world,” Mr Rattenbury said. “It’s very important that we hear from Laura’s generation …

“Certainly, for us as the Greens, our party will really benefit from having a younger voice at the table – someone who can reflect the issues that renters, people who are looking at the reality of the housing crisis and wondering what the future looks like, young people who are going through the hard reality of climate change. They’ve got big stakes in the future.”

Ms Nuttall was elected through a callback of votes at lunchtime today, supervised by the ACT Electoral Commissioner, Damien Cantwell AM.

Mr Davis resigned on 12 November, thereby declaring his seat vacant. On Friday 17 November, a notice was published, inviting unsuccessful candidates who stood for the 2020 election to apply to contest the vacancy.

James Daniels (Canberra Liberals), Greg Baynham (Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party ACT), Taimus Werner-Gibbings and Brendan Forde (both ACT Labor), and Robyn Soxsmith (Animal Justice Party) also contested the seat.

Mr Rattenbury said he was delighted the ACT Greens would hold onto the seat. Mr Davis’s resignation and the resulting vacancy, he acknowledged, had “obviously been a circumstance we hadn’t planned for”.

“We’re very committed to supporting the residents of Brindabella and to be a voice for them in the Assembly,” Mr Rattenbury said. “We’ll now be working to get Laura up to speed to help her get out there and meet people and to continue the Greens’ strong focus on supporting the people of Tuggeranong.”

Will Ms Nuttall take on Mr Davis’s portfolios: Education, Health, Drug Harm Minimisation, Business, Nighttime Economy, LGBTIQA+ Affairs, Sport and Recreation, Tourism and Events, and Young People? That remains to be seen.

At this stage, the Greens had not made any decision around portfolio allocation, Mr Rattenbury said.

“It’s important to let the democratic process run, and not be presumptuous about the outcome today. So now that the result is affirmed that makes Laura the latest member of the Assembly, we’ll start internally to think about portfolio allocations, community responsibilities, all of the sort of things that go with being an MLA.”

Canberra Daily is keen to hear from you about a story idea in the Canberra and surrounding region. Click here to submit a news tip.