NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge said the party’s focus on young candidates reflected the fact that their generation had the most at stake as the window to deal with climate change narrowed.
“When you have an extraordinarily talented 18-year-old putting up their hand and saying,‘I want to be part of changing the world’,the Greens can’t say no,” Mr Shoebridge said.
Mr Davern said he decided to run earlier this week because nobody else volunteered after the originally preselected candidate pulled out of the race for personal reasons.
“There were a few alternatives,and we all talked about who was the best option,” Mr Davern said.
“And everybody was saying,‘I don’t want to do it,but I will,but Eli can you please do it because you’re the best candidate’.
“Obviously there were some conversations around my schooling and how I would put the two together,but I made the decision that it was time for me to stand.”
It will be an uphill battle for Mr Davern to strip the seat from Ms Ley,who comfortably holds it for the Liberal party with just over half the primary vote. Independent Kevin Mack trailed at the last election with 20.5 per cent of the vote,followed by Labor with 14.6 per cent and the Greens candidate was a distant fourth on 4.7 per cent.