On 15 August 2024, I spoke about a survey I had conducted of young people. 

This building has historically not been a place where young people's voices are heard or listened to.

We are seeing the results of this laid bare as housing becomes more unaffordable and the climate crisis threatens our future. I believe I'm the youngest person in this House and can confirm it is still not the most welcoming place.

I've been heckled and told to quit and come back when I am older. People always assume I work for an MP or a senator because, surely, someone my age couldn't possibly be an elected representative. This is not a place where young people are supposed to be, and that's exactly why we need to be here.

The lack of representation of youth voices in political arenas only exacerbates a sense of disconnection. When young people see so few leaders who reflect their experiences or advocate for issues they care about, of course they are less likely to feel motivated to engage.

I recently ran a survey for young people in my electorate, and we saw over 1,000 responses from the community.

The message from them could not have been clearer: the political system is broken, and the future feels bleak. Ninety-seven per cent of respondents said they do not believe the government listens to young people.

They see the game as rigged and home ownership as impossible, and some even noted they decided not to have children because they do not see a future for themselves, let alone a future generation. They want system change. They know what the rules of politics and the economy are, and they do not like them. Those rules have left our society so much worse off, and people feel more isolated than ever. They want thinking outside the box. They want the rules rewritten so that they have a chance at a good and dignified life.

The results of this survey, like I said, couldn't have been clearer.

Young people have grown up in an economic and political system that has completely let them down and done precisely nothing to make them feel like they owe those systems anything—and they don't. If our economic and political systems have not delivered for generations of young Australians, we need to start asking why. 'Because that's how it has always been,' is not a valid reason.

If entire generations feel like this place is not working for them, it is this place that needs to change, not them.