The Greens' Laura Nuttall has been confirmed as the Legislative Assembly's newest member for Brindabella, taking the seat vacated by Johnathan Davis.
Ms Nuttall said she was honoured and elated to represent the southern-most region of Canberra.
"I am very excited, as the first Gen Z representative here in this parliament. And I don't think we should stop there for young people. I think we should get our foot in the door," Ms Nuttall said.
"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, 24, will be the youngest Greens member elected to any Australian parliament and the second youngest woman elected to the Assembly, after the Democrats' Roslyn Dundas, who was 23.
Ms Nuttall said she wanted to speak with the people of Brindabella about the main issues for the electorate, and said her experience as a policy advisor in Mr Davis' office had given her a basic understanding of how the Assembly operated.
"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," she said.
"I just want to be a conduit for all the good ideas of the really smart people around me and all the people in the community. I'm excited."
Ms Nuttall said a young person's perspective would be an important addition for the Assembly.
"A Legislative Assembly is made up of 25 representatives. And 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 front of the housing crisis and cost of living," she said.
"I myself am a renter and have found it really tough in the past to get by. And I think that adding that voice to the table is a really, really important element."
Ms Nuttall, who grew up in Richardson, also said she felt some Tuggeranong parochialism.
"As the crow flies, I live furthest from the Assembly proper. I think as a representative, it's my job to ensure that we get as much love as possible down south and a bit of TLC," she said.
"So that's what I'll be working towards."
Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said the party was delighted Ms Nuttall would fill the casual vacancy.
"It's obviously been a circumstance we hadn't planned for. It's been a difficult period for our party, but we're delighted that the Greens will still hold a seat in Brindabella," Mr Rattenbury said.
Mr Davis resigned late on Sunday, November 12, after he was stood down by his party following an investigation into allegations he had sex with a minor and an inappropriate, but not illegal, relationship with a 17-year-old.
Mr Davis had been elected at the 2020 election with a margin of 82 votes, narrowly defeating Labor's Taimus Werner-Gibbings.
Electoral Commissioner Damian Cantwell presided over the countback process at the Legislative Assembly on Monday afternoon.
The Canberra Liberals' James Daniels, the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers' Greg Baynham, the Animal Justice Party's Robyn Soxsmith were among the candidates who nominated themselves for the countback.
Mr Werner-Gibbings, who has been dropped from the Labor party's 2024 Brindabella ticket in a preselection battle, also nominated, alongside Labor's Brendan Forde.
Elections ACT ran the countback on a single computer terminal, which redistributed the votes used to elect Mr Davis in 2020 and showed Ms Nuttall was the winner within a minute.
Ms Nuttall, whose victory was met with cheering and applause from gathered members of the Greens, will be formally declared elected on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to take her seat in the chamber later this week.
