Arabic version: الطالبة المراهقة هيرا شيبارد تخوض المنافسة على مقعد فيكتوريا

According to ABC News, 18-year-old Warrnambool College student Hera Sheppard has been endorsed by the Victorian Socialists to contest Victoria’s South West Coast seat at the state election in November. Sheppard is in year 11 and will balance her campaign with high school studies and a part-time job at McDonald’s.

Sheppard said her schedule would be tightly packed as she campaigns outside school and work hours. “I’m not going to have any free time. I’ll be campaigning every minute that I’m not at work or school,” she said, describing the effort as a sacrifice she was willing to make in pursuit of “a better world”.

In South West Coast, Sheppard will face incumbent Liberal member Roma Britnell, who has held the seat since a 2015 by-election. The electorate has been held by the Liberal Party since it was created in 2002. It covers largely rural communities, including Warrnambool, Portland, Port Fairy, Heywood, Terang and Koroit.

Sheppard said she wanted to represent the next generation of workers on housing, workers’ rights and public transport. Her transport platform includes advocating for a six-carriage train on Warrnambool’s V/Line service and improved travel times. Having spent most of her life in public housing, she said public-housing waitlists and supply were issues close to her heart.

If elected, Sheppard would become the youngest-ever MP elected to an Australian parliament. Queensland’s Wyatt Roy was elected to the House of Representatives at age 20 in 2010, while Charlotte Walker became Australia’s youngest senator at 21 in South Australia in 2025. Former Victorian premier Jacinta Allan was Victoria’s youngest female MP when she was elected at 25 in 1999.