Meet The ACT’s First Gen Z MP

24-year-old Laura Nuttall is the youngest Greens representative elected to any Australian parliament. She is also the first Gen Z Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly ever.

Nuttall and her 22-year-old advisor Dani Hunterford are passionate about environmental and economic justice, and young peoples’ participation in politics.

Journalist Antoinette Lattouf investigates what a Gen Z MP can bring to Parliament and why young people’s issues ought to be front and centre in this episode of The Briefing.

24-year-old Laura Nuttall spoke on The Briefing podcast:

Nuttall is a Member for the seat of Brindabella, elected in 2023.

“The only people that are going to change the narrative in politics are young people,” Nuttall said, “We need diversity in politics to change the narrative.”

“I’ve been heckled in chamber and it’s crap […] The arguing is always detracting from the issue. So I try and keep my head down and just focus on the policy,” she said.

Nuttall and her advisor are investigating the establishment of support services for people under eighteen who vape.

“What if you’re under eighteen? It’s not like a doctor is going to prescribe you something with nicotine in it,” she said.

“It’s become so widely accessible on the black market and there’s nothing in place to help those that are under eighteen quit smoking.”

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