Arabic version: الناخبون الشباب في فيكتوريا يوازنون بين القضايا المحلية والتغيير السياسي
According to ABC News, young voters across regional Victoria are balancing frustration with the political status quo against optimism that their votes can shape the state election. The Victorian Electoral Commission says people aged 18 to 44 make up 44 per cent of the vote, while Monash University politics associate professor Zareh Ghazarian says thousands of first-time voters could have a huge impact on results.
For Mildura Rural City youth council deputy mayor Ollie Edens, a key concern is the limited range of tertiary education options locally. The recent high school graduate is travelling to Melbourne because he could not find the training course he needs in Mildura. He said social media was helping young people make independent voting choices rather than simply following their parents.
Other young voters highlighted issues closer to home. Wodonga student Jack Dumsday, who uses a wheelchair, said the town’s bus network needed improvement. In the Ovens Valley electorate, 22-year-old Charlie Bradbury said she would be choosing the “lesser of the evils”, while identifying rent freezing, publicly owned local supermarkets and violence against women as important concerns.
Young people interviewed by ABC News said they often receive political information through social media and word of mouth. Sarah Clayton, a 21-year-old Benambra voter and member of the NESAY youth advisory committee, said she felt uninformed and wanted more political education in schools. GetUp Victorian campaign director Conal Feehely said young Australians were facing student debt, rent increases and uncertainty about home ownership, but still wanted hopeful politics that offered answers.
Dr Ghazarian said young voters approach the ballot box in different ways: some research candidates and policies, while others look to the choices of parents and friends. He said young people have also long played an important role in public debate and protest, including movements focused on environmental protection, conservation and social justice.
