In Australia, it's common to hear, "I'm not into politics." But in reality, if you're “not into” politics, that might be exactly why you need to be.

The last four years of my life, spent building Foundations for Tomorrow and driving the recent introduction of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill (2025), has left me with strong opinions on this topic.

For some, disengagement is a symptom of deep disillusionment, a result of being marginalised by a system that does not reflect or serve them. But for others, political apathy is a luxury, a privilege that allows them to opt-out whilst others suffer the consequences of political short-termism, rising inequality, and a democracy that is failing to serve its people.

If the system is failing you, your voice is needed.

If the system is protecting you, your labour is required.

Choosing not to engage, whether because politics feels distant, frustrating, or uncomfortable, only protects the status quo, which is in tatters. 

A Personal Journey from Apathy to Advocacy

I spent the first 25 years of my life detached from politics. I managed to make it midway through my 20s, with a law degree in hand, without being able to tell you the difference between an MP and a Minister. I assumed politics was something other people did. I focused on my volunteering and community work, hoping someone else would come in and change the system responsible for the injustices I was seeing on the ground.

The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic saw everything change for me; I started to scale my community work through Foundations for Tomorrow, diving headfirst into running a nationwide consultation that engaged 10,000 young Australians.

One day during this project, I was in Blacktown, Sydney, asking young people how they felt about climate change when a 17-year-old said something that hit me like a freight train:

"How am I supposed to care about polar bears when I don’t know where I’ll be sleeping next week?"

That moment forced me to confront a truth I had ignored: political disengagement is not neutral. Assuming the system is someone else’s responsibility is a privilege. The people most impacted by the shortcomings of politics often don’t have the time, resources, or security to participate in it, which is exactly why those of us who can must do the work.

A Democracy Run by a Handful of People

Australia’s political system is increasingly controlled by a shrinking number of party members, and the vast majority of us are not actively participating in shaping the policies that define our lives. In 2020, The Guardian reported that the Australian Labor Party had around 60,000 members, just 0.23% of the population. Similarly, the Liberal Party is estimated to have only 40,000 members, 0.15% of the population, down from 197,000 in the 1950s.

This means that less than 0.5% of Australians are members of the two major parties that set the policies that affect us all.

Meanwhile, the number of people voting for the major parties is also shrinking. In the last federal election, only 68.5% of Australians voted for Labor or the Coalition, the lowest combined primary vote in history. 

This reality highlights something more concerning: political power is being concentrated among a small, elite group while many Australians are rejecting or checking out of the system altogether.

What Happens When We Don’t Engage?

This growing divide is only further weakening our democracy, which is already struggling to deliver, with the costs of short-term thinking to our future adding up.

  • The housing wealth gap between generations has grown to 234%, locking younger Australians out of home ownership while older Australians accumulate property wealth.
  • Climate change and extreme weather are projected to reduce property values by $770 billion by 2100.
  • Australia’s real wages are 4.8% lower than the pre-pandemic level, while across the OECD real wages over the same period have, on average, risen 1.5%.

If we don’t step up and contribute to changing how things are done, these problems won’t just persist; they will get worse.

Yes, It’s Hard. Do It Anyway.

Civic engagement isn’t easy. It takes effort to pay attention, have difficult conversations, and listen to people you disagree with. It takes emotional labour to bring others into the fold rather than dismiss their apathy or attack dissenting viewpoints.

But change doesn't happen in the big, shiny moments. It happens in conversations at home, the pub, or a friend’s birthday party. It happens when you challenge the idea that politics is “boring” or “irrelevant” and emphasise that it shapes every aspect of our lives. It happens when you educate yourself and the people around you, encourage them to ask questions, and empower them to take action. Real change starts with the unglamorous everyday conversations. 

If it all feels too big to tackle, take it from someone who has gone from not knowing anything about politics just a few years ago, to now being somewhat of a regular at Parliament House, there is no shame in learning as you go and the best remedy to the anxiety, frustration and discontentment that so many of us feel about our shared future is to do something about it.

A Collective Call to Action

Engagement doesn’t mean running for office or becoming a political activist. It can be as simple as asking a friend who they’re voting for and why, reading a party’s policy platform instead of just voting the way you always have or supporting independent media and fact-based journalism.

Conclusion

Don’t wait for things to get worse, don’t count yourself out, don’t surrender to the status quo, as it isn’t taking us anywhere good, and certainly don’t pull the sheets over your head because it all feels ‘a bit much’. 

If you can, you must. I hate to break it to you, but no hero is coming to save us. It is up to us to create the future we want to see.

Learn more about Foundations for Tomorrow and the For Our Future Campaign.