I can see why this chap is a youth reporter! I agree wholeheartedly with what he has said and some phrases in particular struck me as being terribly close to the truth:

"Unburdened by mortgages and kids, the “youth voice” is met with deafening silence or indignation when it deigns to interject with the question, “How can something morally wrong be economically right?”"

I have a big fat mortgage, 2 kids in child care, and my wife and I work long hours to make ends meet, but I can't help but being horrified that our politicians have turned the Australia I chose to become a naturalised citizien of 6 years ago from a country aiming to reconcile our past with our future, provide the best possible society for everyone, and fit into our region into one where we pick on the weak, harrass the unfortunate, and harangue dissent.

If the expression "It's unaustralian to ..." gets misused by pollies one more time I just want to get up and punch them on the nose. (False) patriotism is last refuge of the scoundrel.

The second phrase that caught my attention was "To young people such as myself, the two major parties locked in their seemingly endless arm-wrestle for electoral supremacy, offer little more than a choice between Fruit Loops and Coco Pops - both saccharine, hollow in the middle and of dubious nutritional value. You wouldn’t want to eat them every day if you expected to “grow up big and strong,” and neither will Australia."

How true. And what a pity the only possible choices, the Democrats and the Greens are really currently not choices at all...

I consider myself a (relatively!) young australian, and I want to make a difference. I think there are areas in which the youth and other voices can be heard and that may be the senate or it may be in other non-government organisations. Either way, it is not really acceptable to say "the situation is terrible, it's so terrible there is nothing I can do", the situation demands action.

Disengagement lets them win, and none of them deserve to win.

Ian

Great essay Tim. But one thing you might keep in mind. You have parents and perhaps grandparents who are also voters. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that these people do not have your interests at heart, as well as their own, when they cast their votes. As a grandmother I can tell you that I worry about both generations that follow me, from a very personal point of view, and sometimes might cast my vote, or voice my protests, more in line with their interests than my own. Politicians really miss the point when they target me solely as an older voter, and market their policies only at my own self-interest, as defined by market research, demographic analysis and focus groups. Blunt instruments these, and they diminish us all.

The best way for the youth to change the system is to be part of the system, not turn away from it.

There is no reason, in theory, why a youth party could not win seats in the senate if they chose to run, but there is no guarantee all young people would vote for the party.

The problem is young people don't consider themselves one solid group.
I am young (24) but I have two children and a mortgage. I don't see myself as young first and foremost.
I see myself as a husband, a father, a journalist, a big brother and then maybe a young person.

I am different from a young person who is training to be a doctor, owns a cat, catches the train to work everyday.

Youth is not a political force because it is nowhere near a homogenised group.

Perhaps one of the only things that would unite them is what they want for the future - a majority of them will see themselves getting married, having children and buying a house.

The youth period of your life may only last 10 years (18-28, below that you can't vote)whereas the middle section of your life lasts probably thirty years (your mortgage/family life).

And most people have a different outlook on life when they are 45 to when they were 25.

If you go back further and get the opinions of 10 year-olds they may just want those coco pops and fruit loops you mentioned in the article.

What was it churchill said, something about voting with your heart when you are young and head when you are old.

An ageing population shows we are older for a much longer period of our life and that's the age bracket the pollies pitch to.

I'm sure Tim's attitudes will be different in a couple of decades time.

keep up the good work, though

t.u.s.

I must add to the applause that Tim is getting. The sad reality is we get the Polly’s we ask for. Most Australians don't unfortunately put a lot of thought into how they vote. Even less get involved in politics. Most people I talk to say all pollys are the same which in the most part true. The two party system gives stability but it is incapable of truly representing the populace.

Kenny, it does bring stability as well as the ability to get things done reasonably quickly.
a ten-party system would spend a lot of time compromising (not a bad thing in itself) and could easily get bogged down and nothing would get done.

Exactly, Just take NZ or Italy for instance each have got many parties in the parliament. So while most Italians can find a polly who closely reflects their pov also find their had many governments and like NZ can't get anything but the most basic motions through the houses. I think the best the we could do is allow a bit more open decent within each party with polly’s being able to rep their electorate without fear.