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Fresh faces are stepping into the spotlight for the state election with a record number of young candidates vying for your vote.
Victoria
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A record number of young candidates are gunning for seats in the state election, and over half of them are women, signalling a long-awaited shake up of the political landscape.
A Sunday Herald Sun analysis shows over 120 candidates under the age of 35 are looking to knock off their local member this November, with most parties – including Labor and the Liberals – putting forward their largest cohort of youngsters.
Come November, Victorian voters will also be faced with a historic number of women of all ages, including over 60 under the age of 35.
The record generational change comes as Millennials – those born between 1981 and 1995 – are set to become the equal biggest voting block, in line with Baby Boomers.
The generational shapeshift was revealed in the latest census and shows Millenials now make up 5.5 million people or 21.5 per cent of Australian population.
With the rise of the Millenials and their successors, Generation Z, fresh faces are stepping into the spotlight and more young women are entering the arena.
Youth activist, speaker, advisor and writer Ashleigh Streeter-Jones, who has spent the past five years working to get more young women into politics, said an influx of young female MPs would give parliament the perspective it needs.
“A new generation of female MPs would spark a cultural change in parliament - a shift to a more collaborative, flexible, and innovative space,” she said.
“Young people are less likely to accept “that’s the way it’s always been done.”
“They look for new ways of doing things, including democracy. And they embrace technology, which boosts access to political representatives. It pulls young people into the fold.”
Politics and International Relations Senior Lecturer at Monash University Dr Zareh Ghazarian, who has been researching the political engagement levels of young Australians, said the internet had given young people a platform their parents never had.
“Our research shows that young people are very much concerned with political and social issues,” he said.
“Social media, and technology like smartphones provide young people with newer ways to engage with politics.”
One of the fresh new faces is Labor candidate Lucy Skelton, who would become the youngest female politician in Australia if she is successful at the election.
The 20-year-old is vying to take over the high-profile seat of Kew as Liberal MP Tim Smith steps aside this November.
“I’ve come to politics because, yes I’m excited about the vision of what could be, but it’s also that I’m – to be completely frank – utterly terrified of what happens if we fail to address these issues,” Ms Skelton said.
The inner city seat, often thought to be a proving ground for future premiers, is set to be represented by one of three women, with the Gen Z up against teal independent Sophie Torney and Liberal candidate Jess Wilson.
In the east, Liberal candidate Nicole Ta-Ei Werner is looking to snatch back the previously safe Liberal seat of Box Hill, while dishing up some diversity to parliament in the process.
“You look around at the moment and see 50, 60 year olds … it’s not typically for young people. That’s what the image is,” she said.
“I think that needs to change. It’s time for a new generation to come through.”
The newbies come after several career politicians hang up the boots, including 12 Labor ministers who left this term.
The massive influx of young voters can also be tied back to former treasurer Peter Costello’s 2004 baby bonus.
Although the impact of this policy is debated, fertility rates rose and those babies are becoming adults with a clear list of issues they want addressed: climate change, housing affordability and equality.
Rion Ahl, a 20 year old medical student at Monash University and director of education company 50Coach, was born just two years before Mr Costello’s announcement.
A 2022 peer at the Ancora Imparo Program at Monash University. Mr Ahl strongly believes young people should be playing a defining role in Victorian and Australian politics.
“These new candidates – young and fresh new faces – show us that not only is it possible but it is necessary to engage on the national political stage,” he said.
“Nothing disenfranchises me and my peers more than political scandals, character attacks and policy that seems to be shaped on what sounds good at a given point in time,” he said.
“Young candidates – show us your passion.”
1. NICOLE WERNER – LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR BOX HILL
Chinese-Malaysian Australian Nicole Tai-Ei Werner, 31, is fed up with the left side of politics “monopolising” multiculturalism.
“We don’t really do identity politics in Australia. But oftentimes people ask me, ‘Okay, listen, you’re an ethnic, female and young, why go with the Liberal Party?’”
“It feels like the left has monopolised multiculturalism and diversity.”
Ms Werner, a proud Christian from a migrant family, vying for a seat with one of the youngest demographics in the state – 45 per cent aged between 15 and 39, said real representation is needed.
“My perception is that a lot of what they do is virtue signalling, rather than genuine representation,” she said.”
2. LUCY SKELTON – LABOR CANDIDATE FOR KEW
At just 20 years old, Labor candidate for the marginal seat of Kew Lucy Skelton would become the youngest female politician in Australia if she is successful in five weeks time.
With disgraced Liberal MP Tim Smith retiring this November after his infamous drunken car crash in 2021, the inner city seats set to be ruled by one of three women.
Ms Skelton, who already has eight years of advocacy under her belt, is demanding action on climate change and gender equality.
The youth rights advocate said sitting back and waiting for someone else to fix the world was never an option.
“I’ve come to politics because, yes I’m excited about the vision of what could be, but it’s also that I’m – to be completely frank – utterly terrified of what happens if we fail to address these issues.”
3. NOMI KALTMANN – TEAL INDEPENDENT FOR CAULFIELD
Young mum, lawyer, journalist and the Victorian parliament’s first teal independent candidate Nomi Kaltmann, wants cannabis legalised ASAP.
In 2018, Ms Kaltmann’s dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that caused months of severe bone pain and acute fatigue.
Watching their friend suffer in pain, some friends offered HIM alternative pain relievers: products made with cannabis, which he refused to accept.
To give patients like her dad the best chance at pain relief, Ms Kaltmann will be fighting to legalise cannabis if she is successful at this election.
“I think we want to see politics with compassion. I don’t think average Australians want to see people who are sick facing charges and offences and jail time for accessing cannabis or small amounts of psychedelics for their own personal use when they’re suffering,” she said.
“I don’t think we want to see the parents of sick children being charged with an offence when they’re giving their children cannabis oil.”
4. JAMES BENNETT-HULLIN – LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR GEELONG
James Bennett-Hullin is Geelong’s 22-year-old Liberal Party candidate, who wants to be a voice for the young conservatives of Victoria who feel they are forced to hide their opinions.
And he also wants to flip the party leadership’s position on renewable energy, labelling Liberal leader Matthew Guy’s decision to commit to a 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 “an idea cooked up in the inner suburbs of Melbourne to try and out-teal the teals”.
“I think one of the big problems with the Liberal offering to the electorate this election is their reactionary climate policy,” he said, adding that someone in the party had made a statement to the media “without proper consultation with the party”.
“Effectively, they’re committing us to a position that would increase energy costs and hurt cost of living.”
“I do not support such a position as it hurts young families and workers the most, those are the people that can least afford their energy bills to increase exponentially.”
5. KATE LARDNER – TEAL INDEPENDENT FOR MORNINGTON
After a series of consultations with young people – many that involved pizza – one innovative idea stuck with teal independent candidate for Mornington Kate Lardner.
Why not digitise the leftover contents of our messy purses and wallets?
“I’m a doctor at the hospital and the hospitals are slowly moving away from paper based to electronic base systems. And I think something like the driver’s licence is just a really basic thing. We’ve got bank cards on, our E wallet or iPhone wallet, why not digitise driver’s licences?”
“Young people are always on the go and so it’s almost impractical to be carrying a wallet, a physical wallet, with cards in it, as well as a phone.”
“We need to get up to speed with technologies.”
The idea, which has been adopted in other states around Australia, including in NSW and SA, will also help to make identification access easier for Victorians with disabilities, Ms Lardner said.
Joining the debate around the clever idea were the usual suspects: climate change, tolerance, housing and mental health.
6. MARTHA HAYLETT – LABOR CANDIDATE FOR RIPON
Martha Haylett was so taken with former Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech she wrote her honours thesis on it.
“I remember watching it with my mom and my sister and we were just … crying and it was really powerful,” she said.
The 31-year-old country girl said if it weren’t for the “incredible, trailblazing women” who have paved the way for young, female candidates, she wouldn’t be standing where she is today.
Hoping to have children of her own someday, Ms Haylett said watching women before her juggling family and politics was “a real motivator”.
7. JEREMY COWEN – REASON PARTY CANDIDATE FOR RICHMOND
Proud gay man, flight attendant and union member Jeremy Cowen, 21, is worried about ageing members of the LGBTQI+ being discriminated against in aged care homes.
Mr Cowen, the youngest Reason Party candidate running in Victoria, will fight to improve access to aged care homes for the ageing queer community, noting many aged care homes are currently unable, or-ill equipped, to provide them the care they need.
“Many older members of the LGBTQI+ community have lived through, and remember, the trauma of criminalisation and stigma that was particularly prevalent in the last century,” he said.
“Due to these circumstances, many of them experience increased levels of loneliness as well as poorer mental and physical health outcomes in general.”
In recent years, the wave of LGBTQI+ people accessing aged-care are those who lived through the criminalisation of homosexuality in Australia and the 1980s AIDS crisis.
“These are also some of the people that would have marched in the first ever Sydney Mardi Gras in 1978, who fought for equal rights for people like myself.”
8. BRIONY HUTTON – LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR HASTINGS
For 28-year-old Briony Hutton, being a woman has never been an obstacle in her path to success – the Hastings local being raised in a household that taught her “not see the barriers”.
“There’s a lot of emphasis these days on how women are held back and I think, in many ways, that is true … but to me, it’s not something I’ve focused on,” she said.
“I’m always just seeing what’s possible.”
With a strong passion for women and women’s health, the Liberal candidate was one of the front runners on policy around endometriosis – a condition that affects 700,000 Australian women and girls, to drive better awareness, research and patient outcomes.
9. TIMOTHY DRAGAN – LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR NARRE WARREN NORTH
Liberal candidate for Narre Warren North, Timothy Dragan, wants an urgent overhaul of the school curriculum – believing children are being indoctrinated in the classroom.
“We are not preparing students to be the protectors of our great democracy. In fact, we are already seeing the symptoms of this,” the 26 year old said.
“We are nurturing a culture that bases itself on faulty and invalid arguments, relativism, victimhood, and cancel-culture.”
The young Liberal candidate said we are failing to bring up a generation who can maturely debate ideas.
“We are not nurturing a generation that is willing to be open to having their ideas contested without taking personal offence,” he said.
“In the classroom we need to nurture our students to be comfortable to have their ideas contested.”
“Social media is nurturing a generation that absorbs information by influencers and thereby uncritically.”
10. CHLOE MACKALLAH – INDEPDENENT FOR BAYSWATER
Chloe Mackallah is the independent candidate for Bayswater and as the first openly trans candidate in this election, she is determined to see parliament embrace and celebrate Australia’s diversity.
“I think that for people my age, we’re getting to a point in our lives where we’re realising how broken our system is, in a lot of ways and we want to change it,” she said.
“We want to make a better system.”
11. SAM GROTH – LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR NEPEAN
Former professional tennis player turned commentator, Sam Groth, is lob-bying to make an impact at their state election, running as a Liberal candidate for the ultra-marginal seat of Nepean – and the sportsman has a real shot at winning.
The Channel 9 commentator, who moved to Melbourne at age 16 to pursue his dream of being a professional tennis player, represented Australia at both the Olympic Games and in Davis Cup.
He was also awarded Australian Tennis’ highest honour, the Newcombe Medal in 2015.
Following his retirement from tennis after the Australian Open in 2018, Mr Groth jumped into a career in the media, working in sport, travel, news and current affairs.
The News Corp columnist said he decided to run for politics after “witnessing the devastating impact of Victoria’s lockdowns on families, businesses and individuals”.
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