Three young movers and shakers took the opportunity to talk politics over lunch with Federal Member for Gilmore Ann Sudmalis during the first Pizza and Parliament event in Ulladulla.
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David Robertson, Jacob Williams and Kody Geraghty met with Mrs Sudmalis at the Dunn Lewis Centre and were provided with an opportunity to have their say on issues that were important to them.
Kody said the lunch-time discussion gave the Ulladulla High School students and “excellent opportunity for us to speak to someone who actually wanted to listen to our opinions in this society”.
“I have always felt passionately that young people are becoming more aware, therefore they deserve a say,” she added.
“They are the voters in a few years time, yet there are limited opportunities, unless you know where to go.”
She hopes the member for Gilmore will take her ideas on board.
“I know Ms. Sudmalis will do the best she can to take the ideas that we brainstormed and discussed as far as she can,” Kody added.
“It will be very interesting to see whether we see action follow over the next few months, or even the next couple of years.”
Kody believes the Federal Government has “a lot of issues that need to be sorted out for the well-being of Australia”.
“Admittedly, I am not a fan of Abbott, and I understand that he is under a lot of pressure, but he has not exactly presented himself well in the media in the past few months, and Australia has become the target of a lot of backlash and jokes because of this.
“The government, I hope will improve its standards, and over the next few months and years, they will hopefully do Australia proud.”
Kody said she would like to see all levels of government “start listening more to the people of Australia”.
“Yes, there is a budget issue, and it is a struggle, but if Abbott wants to make Australia happy, we will need to see more society involvement,” she said.
David Robertson agreed the luncheon provided a “fantastic opportunity for young people to have their say about issues in our local area specifically for young people from the Ulladulla area who are often left out of the equation”.
“Mrs Sudmalis was very eager to hear our own solutions to problems in the community rather than just raising the problems and she was very positive to work with,” he said.
“I believe young people are important in the political consultation and advising process, as they will be most affected by whatever decisions politicians make especially in relation to the environment and our economy.
“The issues we raised were mainly related to transport in the Shoalhaven and we talked about bus services between Ulladulla and other major centres as well as transport to Bomaderry train station and the safety of the train station.
“Mrs Sudmalis has said she will contact the parties involved and propose our solutions and I trust that she will follow up on these issues.”
David does not believe the Abbott government is creating policies that will help youth in the future.
“Their stance on climate change is appalling and is damaging Australia’s reputation on an international stage and the proposed changes to higher education will limit opportunities for young people to attain a university degree,” he said.
“These issues are important to Australia’s youth and should be acted on.”
Mrs Sudmalis said the first lunchtime talk with “passionate students” was successful, but added that it would have been beneficial to have more than three young people in attendance.
“Their attendance and contribution was fantastic and they presented concerns and ideas and looked for solutions which is a really positive starting point,” she said.
“A key issue for the students was the lack of transport in the area.
“Interestingly they also discussed the impact of a limited range of shopping options in Ulladulla and how this pushes people to other areas to shop as well as limiting the available employment opportunities in the area.
Mrs Sudmalis said she would be advocating the issues on behalf of the students and would be talking to bus operators and Shoalhaven City Council to address the transport concerns.
“I will also continue to fight for improved transport options generally as well as potential opportunities for small business in Ulladulla and the wider Gilmore electorate,” she added.
Mrs Sudmalis believes it is important for local members to connect with young people.
“While the students were very aware of their local councillors, they didn’t feel they had the same connection with any other level of government.
“I want to make sure they know I represent them too and want to hear their views and ideas for the future.
“They are the future of our country and their voices should be heard by our local representatives at all levels.
“I want to offer similar opportunities to young people across the Gilmore electorate.”
She said the students were very aware of refugee issues affecting Australia and, while they agreed with the policy to stop the deaths of refugees at sea, they wanted to see a long term plan for accepting refugees into Australia in the future.
“They understand the need for financial responsibility but are confused by the way the policies are appearing in the community and they want to see an even playing field for jobs in the area,” she added.