Notre Dame student Bella Lemma, 17, and Greater Shepparton Secondary College student Alicia Nokutenda Kazayi, 17, have shared their perspectives on politics and the issues affecting young people in Greater Shepparton.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Two young voices have expressed their perspectives on the state of politics and the issues that most affect young people in Greater Shepparton .
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Alicia Nokutenda Kazayi, 17, and Bella Lemma, 17, both said that they felt there was an issue with many young people being disengaged from politics and that those who had an interest didn’t know where to take it.
Bella, who is in Year 11 at Notre Dame College, said “there’s no in-between, kids are engaged or disengaged”.
Alicia, who is in Year 11 at Greater Shepparton Secondary College, said that there were young people who were interested in engaging with politics “but they do nothing about it”.
Alicia said that she appreciated the political freedom in Australia and that people in her family’s home country of Zimbabwe didn’t have the same opportunities to speak up.
Both students said that they had felt the shock waves from the alleged deliberate attack on Federal Member for Indi Helen Haines on Monday, October 19.
Bella said many young people were afraid of engaging with politics because they didn’t want to be attacked for their ideas and that she knew some people who didn’t want to participate in Youth Parliament as much because they had a bad experience with conflict in politics.
“To what extent is it too much?” Bella said.
Both students identified the social media ban as a limiting factor on engagement, as without access to the apps, there was less opportunity for young people to hear about upcoming opportunities and access the political conversations of the day.
Bella hopes to run an organisation dedicated to supporting regional women and addressing misogyny, which she said was more prevalent in the regions.
Alicia and Bella both recently participated in the Youth Summit 2026, held at La Trobe University’s Shepparton campus.
“I loved it,” Bella said.
“I thought it was great too,” Alicia said.
Bella said that she enjoyed the practical elements of the summit, especially the public speaking.
The event, which was delivered by Greater Shepparton City Council, brought together 21 young people from Greater Shepparton in early October to discuss community issues and develop practical solutions.
Alicia and Bella worked on cost of living, an issue that will become increasingly relevant for them as they transition into adult life.
“I think it gives all of us a bit of anxiety,” Bella said.
Bella said that she would like to see more personal finance education taught in schools and Alicia would like to see more inspections of workplaces employing workers under the age of 18 to make sure they were being treated appropriately.
Both students are excited to attend university where Bella would like to study law and politics and Alicia would like to train to become a dentist.
Bella and Alicia both recently participated in Youth Summit 2026.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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