With the local government elections fast approaching, the voices of young people who experience our community in a different way than the rest of the population tend to fall by the wayside.

Low youth participation in the electoral process occurs across most democracies. In order for young people to feel engaged and enliven the election process, The Bugle is establishing a youth forum for councillor-candidates to listen and act on the issues that affect our young community. 

The first event hosted by the recently established youth forum will give young people in Kiama a chance to ask constructive questions and suggest topics for discussion to the four speakers:

Imogen Draisma

Cr Draisma is the Deputy Mayor of Kiama Council, she became one of the youngest female politicians at the time of her introduction to Council. At only 25 years old, she has advocated for a range of issues that she believes in; diversity, affordable housing, mental health, reduction of carbon emissions, maximising renewable energy resources and arts and cultural hubs.

Kane Presland

Presland is dedicated to improving mental health within the community, he is actively involved in the Veteran Surf Project and Waves of Thinking. He manages the beloved Penny Whistlers cafe and is strongly committed to affordable housing and employment challenges that his age group experiences. 

Harrison Ledger

Ledger is 19 years old, making him one of the youngest candidates to nominate for Kiama Municipal Council. He is currently studying Law, Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of NSW.

Jordan Casson-Jones

Casson-Jones, who was awarded the Young Citizen of the Year Award for suicide prevention in 2021, is second on the ticket and he identifies that one of the main issues affecting young people in Kiama at the moment is the rise in the cost of living, and he says his first focus will be on addressing that.

The online forum will be held next Thursday, 29 August at 3.00pm. The session will be guided by questions and topics suggested by an open survey, fill it out to get your questions answered. 

A study conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission showed that young Australians vote because it is compulsory, not because they see their vote as a form of change for the way they experience their future.

“Because the government doesn’t affect my day to day life. Therefore I don’t care who gets elected,” a participant in the study said.

The study found that one-in-two students feel they lack the knowledge to understand the issues, parties on the ballot and voting system.