AS the day of the Federal election draws near, young first-time voters have come together to play their part in Australian democracy.
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From one of the longest Federal campaigns in history, the months of baby-kissing have finally come to a conclusion as the political campaigns cease.
On July 2, the voting process for the Federal election begins at the ballot box for some, and the youth vote will have a much greater focus.
An understanding of this demographic is vital as youth voters may hold the key between a majority or a hung parliament.
First-time voters at Trinity Catholic College - Ainsley Andretta, Claudia Maddren, Harry Coles, Oscar Cunningham and Riley Smereczanski - sat down to discuss what matters most to them.
What issues, both for the present and future, do you worry about from a political point of view?
From all students, their main concern was for their future careers.
"People going into retirement are making decisions for the next generation, and it won't affect them," Harry said. "The long-term future, not just the next five years."
Claudia expressed concern over finding employment after the completion of university degrees, "jobs for us that haven't even been discovered yet".
Oscar's focus tended towards university costs in general:
I'm worried about going to university and paying a lot of money for a job that I might not enjoy but I'll be locked into, because of the money spent to get there.
- Oscar Cunningham
Have you registered to vote? If you have, did you do it on your own? Or were you pushed by your parents? If you haven't, why haven't you?
All five have have registered vote. "I registered to vote just after I was 16," Ainsley said.
"My parents assisted me [to register], but I intended to do it anyway," Harry said.
As a first-time voter, do you find the voting process overwhelming?
The students said they were comfortable with voting, but confused about certain aspects. For Oscar, it was preferencing; for Claudia, the different system in the Senate.
Other voters were more confident, citing past experiences such as attending voting with parents as factors that raised their confidence.
What do you think of the current political leaders? How do you feel they are representing young adults in Australia?
"I feel both major parties are a bit out of touch with the challenges young people face," Harry said.
Oscar thought it was "scary to say that the Greens leaders are actually a representation of many of the issues of the young people at heart."
"I don't believe that [the government is] representing young adults to the best of their abilities," Riley said.
Ainsley doesn't "have a clear idea who I am voting [for] . . . because I don't follow politics. I'm worried my vote is really not going to do anything."
"We really rely on our parents or social media to tell us what to do even though we're deemed adults," Claudia said.
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