Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The following words were written for me by a very bright young woman, Melissa Westbrook, who spent a day in my office recently. They are about how young people might be best served by federal politicians. It has been suggested that rates of youth membership in political organisations are dropping which is a predicament when one considers that existing party memberships are ageing. Some speculate that this drop in numbers indicates that the current 18- to 25-year-old age bracket is politically apathetic or uninvolved, but there is much evidence to show that this is simply not the case. Young people are now channelling their community values in different ways from previous generations and there are a number of things that federal politicians can focus on in order to politically engage people and better represent their needs and interests federally.

Federal MPs can encourage young people to become more politically involved by introducing programs that focus on them being citizens rather than becoming citizens. Current school pedagogies focus on civic education programs that provide young people with the tools to exercise civil liberties for when they come of age. This is not a bad thing as education into our institutions and models is a must if we are to have well-rounded, responsible citizens. Federal MPs can, however, recognise that there needs to more of an outlet for the practical application of politics for young people, as only four per cent of a student population at any school get elected to a student reps council and an even smaller figure get elected to a university board or SRC. Federal MPs can provide assistance in terms of the formation and funding of programs where young people get a chance to take the reins on important issues. Social science studies have shown that young people are driven to focus on making a difference. They are often found in studies to be a results driven generation strongly motivated by a desire to make a direct impact on a cause that matters to them.

Federal MPs can focus on opening these sorts of doorways for young people, with a strong focus on recognition and achievement. Moreover, it must be recognised that young people now are less concerned with the affairs of the state than they are with specific causes and movements. As a result of the information boom, young people are channelling their naturally-felt obligation to be good citizens into broader, more international issues such as climate change and foreign affairs rather than party affiliation and voting. This is a challenge for federal MPs as one of the key problems in trying to engage young people is that they feel obligated to participate in democracy but often feel they have very little power to do so. This is a sentiment MPs can focus on changing. It is a sentiment that has already led to a new brand of youth political action in the rise of internet blogging and course-oriented website building.

MPs can help by acknowledging this individualised, digitally oriented approach to politics by providing more technological forums for young people to participate in federal issues. These could include online chat forums, consultations and mobile alerts in order to provide ongoing liaisons for young people and youth organisations in a way that speaks their language. Ultimately, the key point for federal members looking to engage young people in their electorates is quite simply to provide those young people with the means to get their hands dirty.