The voice of young people across Australia is about to be heard as they prepare to vote in the upcoming federal election. A record has been set for the highest number of young people ever registered to vote, with the youth vote focused on highly debated issues such as climate change and the high turnover rate of party leaders. With the instability in the government and the damage that the youth believe is being done to our environment, it seems to have spurred a substantial response in young voters.
To find out why these young voters feel so strongly regarding the upcoming election, we spoke to some students of Western Sydney University many of whom were first-time voters. Their responses were varied and highlighted a pattern of climate concern and instability in the government as the driving force behind their votes. For these students, it offers a revealing insight into the rationale behind this voting movement and why 2019 is a record-breaking year for political engagement.
As you can see in our story, we attended an early polling station in Parramatta City Centre and to no surprise there were numerous young people and first-time voters at the scene. This drive to vote evidently is not limited to just the educated and university students, with youth voters throughout Australia answering the call to vote.
Time will tell if the vote is as impactful as it appears to be, but one thing is certain. The young voters of Australia have found their voice and when it is time for the federal election, whatever their party preference they will be exercising their right to use it.
Western Sydney News (WSN) 