Submission to the Victorian Youth Strategy 2020
To the Hon. Ross Spence MP and John Bull MP,
Thank you for your invitation for young people to provide their input to shape the direction of the Victorian Youth Strategy.
"Not too Young to" (N2Y2) is a non-partisan not-for-profit on a mission to increase civic engagement and political participation amongst young Australians. We believe in a world where young people are central to solution building, policy-making and lasting change through politics.
We welcome and support the development of the Victorian Youth Strategy.
In our response, we want to highlight our position that we believe the Government and the sector should not simply “respond” to young people’s evolving needs, but rather that young people should be proactively and directly involved in design, planning, determining and delivering solutions to suit their own needs.
The urgent need for young people in politics
The Victorian Youth Strategy Discussion Paper provides important statistics as a ‘snapshot of young people in Victoria’. There are a few more statistics we would like to highlight as requiring urgent action:
On average, less than 2% of people under 25 hold positions in Local Council.
Less than 9% of people between 26 and 35 years old hold positions in Local Council. (Source: MAV)
In fact, the number of councillors aged over 76 is increasing every election, whilst the number aged under 25 is decreasing. (Source: MAV)
This trend of the under representation of young people in politics continues in state and federal politics, where less than 2% of Federal MPs are under 30 years old. (Source: FYA)
In Victoria, young people make up the largest enrolled voter group, but have the lowest voter turn out. (Source: VEC)
Citizen trust in government rose from 18% in 2018, to 46% in a post-COVID world. Trust in Government spiked in every demographic except young people, where it declined. (Source: PwC)
At Not Too Young To, we are on a mission to change these statistics by increasing civic engagement and political participation amoungst young Australians.
In the discussion paper, “young people” is referred to as individuals aged 12-25 years old. We believe this should be increased to 30-35 years old, particularly as pathways to politics are considered as the lifecycle of involvement requires longer term planning, involvement and commitment. During our submission, any reference to “young people” includes those under 35, unless specified.
Re: Discussion question #2 “Do you think the discussion paper captures the key challenges facing young Victorians and the priorities and issues of most importance to them? Is there anything missing or that needs to be changed?”
The Victorian Youth Strategy has one key outcome regarding political participation and civic engagement of young people. We welcome this outcome that “Government, community services, and the youth sector are accessible, appropriate, coordinated and respond to young people’s evolving needs”. Whilst the discussion paper talks about the accessibility of government services through consultation and boards, the term ‘politics’ does not appear once in the discussion paper.
We believe more can and should be done to support and encourage young people to be more aware and meaningfully engage in politics. Whilst, lowering the age to vote is one important way this can be done, we do not believe this is the only solution to increase political participation.
Our engagement: What we have heard from young people.
N2Y2 has been interacting and engaging with hundreds of motivated young people across Victoria. Similarly to what we’ve witnessed across ageing populations across the developed world, more pressure is accumulating on the younger generations, from unsustainable student debt to public pensions. Only 7% of Australians under 30 believe that Australian politicians are working in the best interests of young people (Source: FYA). We found that many young Victorians believed that young people generally are currently underrepresented and their views and opinions have consistently and systematically been moderated.
Specifically many young Victorians felt disassociated from the political process. We found a distinct lack of understanding around the process / requirements to run for local government. We heard that candidates would be motivated to impact change and be a voice on things the community finds important but a stigma of negative politics deters them.
We heard many young people say that they simply “don't know how to get involved in the council and assume I don’t have the connections or qualifications or experience”. Because many do not know what is required young people often assume they “don’t fit”.
We found a general bias that “young people are inexperienced” is a huge barrier to young people who are considering running for positions in government, at any level. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. One candidate told us “the constant rhetoric against younger people in the media and the fact that I’m a young woman are considerable deterrents to me, and I’m sure many other people in running”. These opinions were also echoed by another candidate who stated “As a person of colour, I’m not sure I’d fit in or feel comfortable in a government/political position. No idea if being in politics at this level can actually change anything.” We found consistently that young people, particularly at the local political level, had little idea of the roles and responsibilities of Local Authorities and whether local councillors could change anything.
If we allow these deficits to continue we will perpetuate and exaggerate the generational divide in Australia. Young Victorians are incredibly politically aware and active. Many of them actively choose not to get directly involved politically. Even before 2020 enrolment was climbing for under 18s but many today do not necessarily align to a single party or policy position. In fact, in Victoria, young people make up the largest enrolled voter group, but have the lowest voter turn out. (Source: VEC)
That same candidate we spoke to felt energised by the community of young supporters in N2Y2. “Seeing incredibly intelligent, resilient and ambitious young people in my community has driven me toward pursuing positions of power to lead and speak up for young people, not just in my council but throughout Australia and the world.”
We believe that young Victorians have a great deal more to contribute to the public debate. Their voices are an important and absent aspect of democracy.We believe that young people are central to solution building, policy making and ensuring lasting change.
We have been working hard to create a community of active and engaged young people. We have had modest success in our community, backing younger candidates and finding volunteers and supporters. As we continue to grow we intend to do more to ensure greater representation across the political spectrum.
Through our extensive engagement and support of young candidates for local elections we know there is no lack of enthusiasm, experience and leadership, not to mention entrepreneurial zeal. Young people are deeply passionate about the issues but do not always see government as the best platform to develop solutions to these. Young people may be less likely to align to a major party but they are a growing and increasingly influential voting bloc.
When asking young people what the deterred them from a career in politics, the most frequent response were:
Lack of information or training
An assumption that they were not qualified
An assumption that politics is not a space for young people
Unclear on the process.
“I think the general bias that young people are inexperienced is a huge barrier to young people who are considering running for positions in government, at any level. The constant rhetoric against younger people in the media and the fact that I’m a young woman are considerable deterrents to me, and I’m sure many other people in running. However, seeing incredibly intelligent, resilient and ambitious young people in my community has driven me toward pursuing positions of power to lead and speak up for young people, not just in my council but throughout Australia and the world.” - Anonymous response
Our impact in 2020
We believe that more needs to be done to inspire, educate and empower young people to consider greater political participation - at any level. And this is the very reason Not Too Young To exists. N2Y2 launched ahead of the 2020 Victorian Local Council Elections and has supported young candidates through raising awareness, local council campaign training, guest speaker events and social media amplification.
We engaged with over 1,000 young people. Saw over 70 young people run for Local Council. We partnered with experts in the field, including Ruth McGowan, PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia, Run For It and Women for Election Australia. We featured on the Morning Show with Russ and Ross on 3AW, and on SBS Pashto and SBS Urdu, as well as featured speakers such as Jordon Steele-John (WA Greens).
Whilst the impact of our first six months was significant, it is not enough. We believe more needs to be done to inspire, educate and empower young people to meaningfully engage in politics.
Our recommendations
N2Y2 is committed to supporting the Victorian Youth Strategy Outcome that “Government, community services and the youth sector are accessible, appropriate and coordinated, and respond to young people’s evolving needs.” However, it is the firm belief of N2Y2 that in order to achieve this outcome young people require greater representation at all levels of Government. Given the extraordinary impact of COVID we would advise the following measures be considered to ensure a greater number of applications from young candidates in subsequent elections:
Greater investment in civic education programs available outside of high school. Access to information and unclear pathway to politics are notable deterrents to young people meaningfully engaging in politics.
Reducing the financial barrier to application for Local Councils. For example, waiving the $250 fee for registration for those under the age of 30. Young people have specifically mentioned this a barrier to entry.
Improving communications around local and state elections well in advance of the voting day. We have found that many younger candidates would like to get involved whether through volunteering or running in an election but found out too late leaving less time to get organised. Targeted communications in schools, universities and across the youth sector at least a year in advance would reduce the natural incumbency bias and advantages that those with more experience possess.
Improving election training and information dissemination. The mandatory training for those running for public office could and should be more flexible, accessible and targeted at younger people.
We strongly believe that the Victorian Government can and should play a greater role in educating and communicating the value of civic engagement to young people. We believe the following principles would guide us if we were Premier for a day.
If N2Y2 was Premier for a day, we would:
Increase funding for civic engagement and education in schools and community organisations;
Increase opportunities for young people to be involved in shaping policy;
Improve training and accessibility of the election process at all levels for young people;
Increase awareness well ahead of key political milestones, such as Council and State Elections.
Not too young to: who we are.
"Not too Young to" (N2Y2) is a non-partisan not-for-profit on a mission to increase civic engagement and political participation amongst young Australians.
Our two founders and executive team commenced in June 2020, incubated through the Global Shapers Melbourne Hub and funded through the World Economic Forum and Climate Reality.
N2Y2’s core mission is to increase civic engagement and political participation amongst young Victorians. We believe in a world where young people are central to solution building, policy-making and ensuring lasting equitable change through the political process.
Our executive team is made of five people under the age of 30 and from a broad range of sectors and experiences.
In 2021, we are expanding through the Sydney Hub to support young candidates across NSW and starting a range of programs in Victoria to support civic education and engagement through our Not Too Young to KNOW and PARTICIPATE programs.
Thank you for taking the time to read our submission.
We look forward to further engagement with you in 2021.
Regards,
Christos Gatsios, Chief Strategy Officer, Not Too Young To
Gul Khan, Co-Founder, Not Too Young To
