You’d think a solid high school education and four years of university would have been enough to give me some grounding in the affairs of our parliament but, alas, from the age of 18 I repeatedly neglected to vote.

It was an apathy that proved expensive throughout my university years, with failure to vote fines as commonplace for me as Wednesday nights spent at Newcastle’s Argyle House nightclub.

I can only speak for myself, but throughout high school politics was a topic rarely broached.

Likewise, at university, a rudimentary grasp (at best) of politics was enough to see me through. 

“Lazy sod,” you cry.

“He’s what’s wrong with his entire generation.”

And I’d probably agree with you, if statistics didn’t support a damning lack of engagement between Australian youth and our political system.

The Australian Electoral Commission estimated shortly before the close of the electoral roll that 381,738 potential voters aged between 18 and 25 had not enrolled for this year’s federal election.

This included half of the country’s 18-year-olds and a quarter of its 19-year-olds. 

It’s a huge chunk of a demographic that feels like politics has little impact on them.

And who can blame them for not being genuinely engaged, with youth issues (such as first home ownership) an afterthought in many politicians’ minds.

My first steps on the grand path of political education were only taken when I began fulltime work. All of a sudden the impact of local, State and federal politics was being presented to me in real, tangible examples.

It made me incredibly excited for this year’s federal election and ravenously thirsty for more information on how our country’s system works.

Better yet, I feel like being better informed has given me a voice.

Young Australians have a chance to hold the country’s politicians to account.

As a whole, they have an incredibly important role to play in shaping our political landscape. 

They just need some help realising it. 

- Lachlan Leeming is a journalist at the Manning River Times