‘Raze it to the ground’: Why young Melburnians are losing trust with Australia’s politicians

In this series, The Age asks a diverse group of people aged 19 to 29 to reveal what challenges and rewards they face as young Melburnians.See all 5 stories.

Polarisation, HECS debts, climate change, Palestinian liberation – all are political flashpoints that spark the passionate engagement of young people in Melbourne.

But when you get a group of five people, aged 19 to 29, around the table for a serious talk about how their generation views these issues, only one of them sees any answers in the two-party system.

Jenson Galvin doesn’t miss a beat when asked about his political affiliations.

“Liberal,” he says, the question barely finished.

Asked to explain his position to a group of his progressive young peers, he pauses for a moment to think.

“[The] Liberal Party isn’t really well liked amongst young people, but I think that when we eventually realise that – and it sounds terrible – but money is the most important thing, then we will all come to a position where conservative politics eventually rears its ugly head and means that we have more money in our pockets,” the 19-year-old says.

“I value financial independence. I also value our exports and GDP as a country.”

We’ve gathered this diverse group of five – an artist, an actor, a youth worker and two university students who work in construction and financial services – to get a young person’s view of life in Melbourne as part of an Age series.

Among them, Brighton resident Galvin is the only card-carrying member of a political party. He’s also the only one who feels moved to engage in politics directly, having made an unsuccessful tilt at being elected to Bayside Council in October’s elections. He says he ran as an independent – on a platform of curbing rate rises, stopping irresponsible development and reducing crime – because he wanted to represent his community and prove that young people could provide solutions to local issues. He arrives at dinner sporting a Liberal-blue suit jacket.

Polling by Resolve Strategic says a larger proportion of young people vote for left-leaning parties than older cohorts, such as 25 per cent of young people voting for the Greens at the 2022 federal poll, compared to the party’s overall primary vote of 12 per cent.

But other than Galvin, the rest of the group of young Melburnians express ambivalence towards traditional politics. And when it comes to voting, they say they make decisions based on individual issues, not party loyalty.

“I’ll be honest, when it comes to the upcoming federal election, I don’t know who I’m voting for,” says Ikram Mahamed, a public health graduate who works at a multicultural youth organisation.

“I’d say I grew up in a Labor household. But when I look at policy and politics, I try not to look at it just from a party-to-party basis … I look at it from a policy perspective, like what is that particular candidate bringing?”

The 23-year-old says it’s important to think about the economy, but not at the expense of other issues.

“I think of Peter Dutton – I’m so sorry” – she turns to Galvin to apologise for what she’s about to say – “Some of the stuff that he said, I just couldn’t imagine him leading our country.”

Dutton’s treatment of minority communities, particularly his comments about African Australians during the 2016-18 tabloid-labelled “African gangs crisis” is something she cannot forgive.

No trust in selfish politicians

Artist Mia Boe, 27, says she has moved around a lot, and her vote changes depending on where she is casting it, but she has a generally progressive ideology and will vote for parties that prioritise the environment over profit.

Queer, non-binary performance artist Ryan Stewart says they are not beholden to any party – though their vote tends to end up with the Greens.

“I’m a bit …” they pause to search for the right word, “… uninspired by the two-party-preferred system.”

They are cynical about what they see as self-interested politicking in Australia – a problem they see as pervasive across Western liberal democracies. Politicians, they believe, are misplacing their priorities.

“The people who are going for these roles [are] fulfilling some ego, or fulfilling some desire, that they have full power,” Stewart says.

The 29-year-old lambasts the behaviour of politicians in parliament, the apparent lack of cohesion and the knee-jerk opposition to policy ideas.

“When I watch question time, sometimes I feel like … it’s a joke. There’s these adults yelling at each other, and I’m like, ‘Are you serious? Can’t you just put it all aside for a moment?’

“The way that the parliament is running … is creating that divide more and not bridging it.”

Construction administrator and inner-suburban community figure Abdulmalik*, 27, straddles a centrist outlook. He’s a strong proponent of meritocracy, and also runs a soccer club that allows membership to children who can’t afford to pay.

He votes for Labor federally, saying it is better at handling international affairs, including the nation’s tenuous relationship with China.

But he baulks at the debt being racked up by Victorian Labor.

“For state, it needs to go to Liberal … just to manage all the debts. Because at the moment, it’s just going crazy,” he says.

“I’m losing a bit of trust with the politicians,” he says later. The main issues that concern him are their perceived self-interest and the effect of money on Australian politics.

Does he feel hopeful about the country’s political future?

“Not really.”

Of the political system in general, Stewart says: “Without razing it completely to the ground, [I don’t have] criticism that is constructive.”

Mahamed agrees: “I think you said it perfectly.”

But the group’s disaffection with the government and politicians does not extend to apathy about political issues.

Climate change, ballooning HECS debt and Palestinian liberation are among the causes some of the group say they are passionate about. Boe says she regrets that they do not have more of an opportunity to discuss global warming in particular.

“That’s going to affect all of us and generations to come after us. We are well and truly at that point of no return,” she says.

The group acknowledges the power and influence politicians have, despite their discontent with the system as it is. When asked who they each think are the most influential figures in today’s culture, most of the names offered are politicians, from Trump to independent Australian senator Lidia Thorpe.

Galvin, still carrying the torch for party politics, cuts a lonely figure. Towards the end of the evening, he feels the need to return to the subject and defend his stance.

“The only role of government, in my eyes, is to listen,” he says. “That is, in my heart, one of the reasons why I joined a party, as funny as it sounds, and how I believe a government should be – people should always be the centre.”

There is a long pause as the group considers his remarks.

Eventually, Stewart speaks.

“I actually agree,” they say in surprise, to a chorus of laughter.

When dinner has finished, we ask Stewart to reflect on whether the gathering of young folk was what they had expected. The most surprising thing, they say, is the common ground they found with strangers across the political divide.

“We all were listening to one another, which was really nice, and I actually came out of it realising that I agree with a lot of people more than I might think.”

Others echo the sentiment.

“Look at the conversations that we’re having now,” says Mahamed. “It’s like, do we have these sorts of conversations every day? Probably not, right? But if we did have more of these sorts of conversations where we do get to hear different perspectives, different experiences, I think having that understanding is very, very important.

Boe, too, is concerned by what she sees as a growing social divide.

“How do we stop that? I don’t really know. How do we replicate these conversations, unless people come to it open and curious? … Simply breaking bread with other people is how compassion is created.”

Galvin says: “I think one of the best parts of our democracy in Australia is we can have discussions like this without being at each other’s throats.

“We can actually talk honestly and openly and not walk out of the room hating each other.

“We’re doing pretty good. I mean, it’s a pretty poor situation for young people as we’ve all established, economically and socially ... But ultimately, at least we can have these discussions and know that one day it’ll get there ... at least we can be whoever we want to be.”

“He talks like a politician,” Abdulmalik laughs.

*Surname removed following concerns about being identified after the interview was conducted.

With Angus Delaney, Gemma Grant, Hannah Kennelly and Hannah Hammoud

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