Providing a voice for young people

Independent candidate for Macnamara Ruby O’Rourke says she wants to see the electorate become a beacon of Australia for young people’s rights.

Ms O’Rourke works for the Commonwealth Government in children’s health, education and protection. She also established the charity Healthy Australia, which she has resigned from in order to contest the May 18 federal election.

Having been adopted as a baby and experienced terrible trauma and abuse as a ward of the state, the 50-year-old mother told Southbank Local News that said she had been an advocate for young people her whole life.

While her policy platform is based on a number of initiatives that seek to restore and improve transparency and human rights in our society, its focal point is her wish to introduce a Youngs Person’s Rights Bill to parliament.

“I’m running for parliament because I don’t think government is honest in caring for children. I don’t think they’re honest about the consequences of young people’s outcomes,” she said.

“If regulatory impact statements that get put into the senate for debate on every bill have a young people’s impact statement in there they have to consider the consequences of bad decisions.”

Ms O’Rourke said she wanted to bring more people into politics through the bill. She also would like to see 16-year-olds given the vote and said after the election she aspired to set up a Young People’s Party.

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