If selected by the party, the Glen Innes schoolteacher vowed to carry on the work of John Kaye, whose recent death left the position vacant.

In a video message to Greens members, Mr Goldstein said he had a track record of expanding the party’s presence in the region and was able to raise Greens issues in areas they hadn’t previously been able to reach.

“Over the last few years and in two elections, I have demonstrated that I can build community and voter support for the Greens in some of the most hostile and conservative settings NSW has to offer,” he said.

Mr Goldstein said everything he’d achieved had been as a volunteer campaigner, “with no budget, no paid staff and no office”.

He asked Greens members to imagine what he could achieve as a full-time Parliamentary servant.

“We all know that no one individual can replace who we’ve lost,” Mr Goldstein said.

“But it is my hope in the years to come that, through hard work, continuous campaigning and supporting the priorities and needs of the Greens NSW membership, I will earn the right to be thought of as worthy successor to continue the work [of John Kaye].”

During the recent federal election, Greens party founder Bob Brown endorsed Mr Goldstein and said he could make a difference if elected.