True representation

Youth Governor for the South Australian Youth Parliament 2017, APPURVA RAAJ discusses the need for betteryouth representation in Australian federal politics

Thecornerstone of all democratic political systems is representation. Thatmeans,ensunng that politicians are truly representative of the people of their nation.

A popular topic of conversation during therecent election focused on voter disenfranchisement,especially of young votersinAustralia.Theunderrepresentation of youth and minorities in Australian politics is undeniably afactor contributing to this phenomenon.

The most alarming discrepancy in political representation would be the major under-representationof youth in politics. The averageAustralian politician is agedin theirlate 40s or early S0s.The youngest politician in Parliament currently is 28-year-old SenatorJames Patterson, showcasing the exclusionof a substantial quantity of the voting population from direct political representation.

The odds are unfavourably stacked against an eager 20-year-old Indian woman wanting to participate and make a difference in Australian policies.

Women make up approximately 50.5% of theAustralian population andhence shmdd theoreticallir should comprise at least half of the House of Representatives and theSenate. However, the composition of the45'"Parliament has just 29% women in the Lower House and39% in the Senate.Thesefiguresare anin1provement from previous years, buc still show that women are still under-representedin Australian politics.

Australiaalso prides itself as a multicultural society, andit cercainly is,howeverthis multiculturalism is not reAected in Australia's political platforms

The 2011 Census stated that two per cent of Australia's population comprised of people withIndian ancestry,meaning 1in every 53 people in Australiais of Indian heritage. Given these figures, cl1e House of Representatives should have at least three members of lndian heritage,inorderco be truly representative. However,cl1isis not thecase.Theeffect of multiculmralrepresentative politics is moresignificant viewed as awhole. At least 26% of the Australian population are immigrants with multi-ethnic ancestry. This would translateinto 17 seats in the Houseof Representatives held by people representingAustralia's multictdtucal population. The significance of such strongrepresentation wouldtndy be felt in cl1ecurrent parliament, with the Turnbull Government forming a fragile one-seat majority.

Political participation of young people, andespecjallyyouth of multicnltucal backgrounds, cannot be cultivated overnight; it is an arduous, generational cultural shift in the social and political fabric of Australia. The first step to any change is always awareness. YMCA's YouthParliamentis anapoliticalprogram that facilitates empowering youthco be advocates and leaders in their community. The program enables young people to learn about the legislative process in their state, network with politicians and develop and present issues and ideas that will better their states. lo my experience,Yomh Parliamentis about personal development, about breaking down barriersand negating youth disenfranchisement in politics.

Australia is a democracy Hidden within cl1at simple statement is much political, philosophical andsocial controversy and inAuence that shapes the society we live in. A democratic political systemoperates oncl1e premise that power is vested in a nation's citizens, andoneof the ways in which Australians exercise this power is through their vote. Pol.icicians areelected by the people to represent them andtheir interests - the key word.in that sentence being'represent.' The requisiterelationship between democracy and representation is aptly presented in this quotebyJames Bovard;"De111ocracy11111stheso111ethi11g111ore tha11hJJO1110/vesandasheepvoting011 whatto

havefardinner.''

1f you are agedbetween 15-25, apply forYomh Parliament 2017 in your state andbe a youngleader in your community.

1 can truly say as ayoung,Indian woman interested in politics,my time inYoucl1 Parliament hasmade cl1e loomingglass ceiling between me and my ambitions a little weaker andmy confidence andself-belief farmoreresolme.