CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Ms STANLEY (Werriwa—Government Whip) (16:25): Again this year, young people in my electorate have submitted speeches to the Raise Our Voice program. This is Tanja's contribution: Next year I turn eighteen, and I will walk into a polling booth for the first time. Most Australians will vote without ever being taught how our democracy works.

I've sat in classrooms where an election came and went without a single lesson on it. Australia is rightfully proud of our 90% voting turnout. But turnout isn't understanding, and that gap doesn't sit there quietly.

We've seen it get used against us. Not long ago, the Voice referendum got reduced to a single slogan: "if you don't know, vote no." That wasn't clever messaging. It was aimed straight at a gap we built ourselves.

That gap won't close on its own. I am asking Parliament to make civic education a real, compulsory part of every school, properly funded, not a one-off excursion, with our understanding shaped before approaching the ballot, not after. Because a vote without understanding isn't democracy.

It's a ritual. Democracy was never something we simply inherited at eighteen. It's something we have to be taught to understand, trusted to question, and trusted to shape.

Every young person in Australia deserves civic education as a right, not a hope. Anything less is a failure of our democracy. Nour's contribution is about housing.

Nour is 15: For my generation, housing is more than the cost of buying a home; it shapes almost every decision we make about our future. Growing up, I was taught that hard work, contribution and responsibility could lead to a secure future. Today, that promise feels increasingly out of reach.

Young Australians are delaying moving out, starting families, pursuing careers and choosing where to study because affordable housing is becoming harder to find. Housing is not just an economic issue; it is a question of fairness and opportunity. When essential workers cannot afford to live near the communities they serve, those communities become weaker.

When young people spend years worrying about rent instead of building their futures, Australia loses potential. Parliament has the opportunity to act by increasing affordable housing supply and ensuring new homes are supported by infrastructure like transport, schools, healthcare and jobs. We must build connected, liveable communities where people can belong.

My generation is not asking for an easy path to home ownership. We are asking for a fair chance to work hard, contribute and build a stable future. The decisions made today will determine whether the Australian dream remains within reach for future generations.

Thank you to Nour and Tanja for your contributions to this year's Raise Our Voice.