Political Apathy Amongst Youth.

Young people today are constantly being branded politically apathetic. Sydney Morning Herald writer, Ben Heraghty stated that ÐŽ§Young people nowadays are simply not interested in politics.ЎЁ (Green Left Weekly, March 27, 2002.) Is this assumption true? Are young people disinterested in our political system? Or are they simply confused? I believe that young people are passionate about many issues. But politicians wonÐŽ¦t listen to them.

With so little emphasis placed on issues concerning the youth, itÐŽ¦s no wonder they are becoming disillusioned. However, having said that, they certainly care about the things that affect them... like the interest rate or rises in HECS fees but when it comes to things that don't affect them personally their interest level seems to drop dramatically.

Another point worth noting would be that perhaps young Australians are apathetic and disenchanted due to a general feeling of mistrust. After all, for example, you never really get to meet or chat to the candidates that you are voting for to represent you. When you don't even know what the candidates look like, or what they stand for - apart from the menial information contained in their flyers, how can you really feel confident in your choices? This brings me to my last point. Information. I think that if more people, both young and old knew more about the system, how each party, and the political system in general, worked, then maybe they would appreciate it more and be more actively involved. 18 years ago, a national survey of political interest found that a third of people aged 18 to 24 had ÐŽ§not muchЎЁ or ÐŽ§no interestЎЁ in politics. This figure leapt to 51% in 2001. (The Age, October 4, 2004).

So now IÐŽ¦d like to pose a few questions to you guys.

Ñ"Ь What are your thoughts on political apathy? Do you even think that the youth are apathetic?

Ñ"Ь Do you believe that there needs to be a greater focus on the youth?

Ñ"Ь Disillusion with the Australian Political Party refers being frustrated, confused or disappointed. Do any of you feel that you are becoming politically disillusioned? If so, what do you think could help you feel more involved and interested in our political system?