A musician and environmentalist who has advocated an ad-free Canberra has joined the race for the city's newest political prize.
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The ex-communications director for former Greens leader Christine Milne, Tim Hollo, announced on Tuesday he would seek party preselection for the ACT's third federal seat of Canberra.
His candidacy is among the first to emerge as parties prepare for a contest the Greens believe they could turn into a race with Labor of the type seen in inner-Melbourne and inner-Sydney in recent elections.
Mr Hollo did not comment on his preselection run, saying it was an internal party matter, but in announcing it on social media he said the decision had been a "roller-coaster ride" and alluded to "racism" in dealing with citizenship rules for federal candidates.
"Alongside the personal, family and professional challenges it will bring, navigating section 44 has been an eye-opening minefield, exposing me to the casual racism of our system in a seriously confronting way," he said.
"But it has made me all the more determined to run."
Mr Hollo, executive director of left-wing non-profit organisation the Green Institute and founder of environmental advocacy group Green Music, has previously spoken out against billboards in Canberra's public areas and has written about post-truth politics in the ACT.
The ACT Greens are gearing up to take advantage of the lack of an incumbent representative in the redistributed seat of Canberra, and are confident after the 2013 campaign by former GetUp! director Simon Sheikh for the Senate.
Mr Sheikh won 27.8 per cent of the vote in booths within the proposed new electorate of Canberra, behind Labor on 31.4 per cent and the Liberals on 28.5 per cent (minor parties made up 12.5 per cent of the vote).
The party believes that if this result was replicated at the next federal election in the lower house, the Greens could snatch the seat from Labor.
It is expected Greens party members will vote in a ballot determining its three ACT federal seat candidates and Senate ticket on August 3.
ACT Greens minister Shane Rattenbury has ruled himself out of a tilt at the new federal seat, while lobbyist Kel Watt is running for Labor preselection.
The Australian Electoral Commission will make a final determination on Canberra's new federal seat distribution by July 13.
