Who are SA’s Young Candidates for the 2025 Federal Election
Parliament is supposed to reflect the diversity of the wider population yet it’s becoming increasingly obvious that this isn’t the case. While the population has a substantial proportion of young people, only 7.6% of parliamentarians are under 40 years old. This indicates an overrepresentation of older age groups in parliament and shows a significant contrast to the 28% of Young Australians.
In light of this startling statistic, we would like to platform Young candidates running in the 2025 Federal Election. Before you head to the polls today, check out South Australia’s handful of candidates.
Matt Monti
Mat Monti is the Greens Candidate for Adelaide, with a strong focus on rental rights and community activism. They have been involved in grassroots politics and community lead movements that fight for progressive ideas.
Monti grew up in a working-class community on the Lefevre Peninsula, where they experienced the realities of economic and social inequality from a young age. Growing up in a rental property made them acutely aware of the housing crisis and the reality that some families are one rent increase away from being forced to move out.
They are running to give a voice to people who are struggling and to hold corporations accountable.
Luke Skinner
Luke Skinner is a Greens Candidate for Spence in the House of Representatives. Born and raised in the seat of Spence, he has been active in the various organisations tackling issues such as poverty, access to water, accessibility of menstrual products, and housing insecurity. He has seen the effects living and housing crises from a young age, and his continues community activism has led him to want to represent marginalised people and hold politicians to account
Skinner knows the hardship of university debts and the challenge of budgeting to afford a home in such a rocky economic climate. He is running because he wants to bring integrity to modern day politics and create real solutions to modern issues facing Australians
Samuel Moore
Samuel Moore is a Greens candidate for Makin in House of Representatives. He is running on his belief that no matter someone’s background, they deserve affordable healthcare and a roof over their head. He has lived in Adelaide’s North his entire adult life, currently residing in Golden Grove He is community driven and believes change is possible when communities stand together.
Moore believes that it is time to deliver change in the housing, healthcare, the environment and education sectors, aiming to use his experience as a retail worker turned business owner. With an increasing number of ‘career politicians’ in parliament who listen to corporate donors over their communities, Moore believes that it’s time for community focused people to move into the political space.
James Rothe
James Rothe is running as Labor Candidate for Barker in the House of Representatives.
He is the eldest of 3 boys and grew up in Tanunda, where his family have lived for over seven generations.
He attended Redeemer Lutheran School in Nuriootpa and Nuri High School. Rothe also played AFL for the Tanunda Magpies, where he regrettable didn’t win any premierships.
After he begun working at the age of 14, he saw the personal impact Scott Morrison Liberal Government’s was having on working rights he was inspired to fight for better. He is currently studying a Bachelor of International Relations and Political Science at Flinders University. He also works part-time at two local hospitality venues, giving him firsthand understanding of the experience for many young people in the community. He is currently a member of the South Australian Multicultural Commission. He believes in fighting for better outcomes and for workers and ensuring that the electorate of Barker feels connected and heard by their local politicians.
Charlotte Walker
Charlotte Walker is running as one of the Labor Candidates for the Senate. She is currently the president of SA Young Labor. She was previously a SASRC Student Representative working on Civil Rights and Social Action. She has obtained both a Certificate II in Horticulture, Natural Resources, and Conservation and Certificate III in conservation & ecosystem management. She has been a participant for the Progressive Labor Education Association, showing her dedication to supporting workers’ rights. In 2023, she worked as a Government of South Australia Electorate Officer to Hon. Leon Bignell MP. She has been long committed to creating a safe and fair environment, particularly young workers.
The aim of politics has always been to be representative of the population. In the current political climate, yet in today's political climate, this often fall short. While we cannot say for sure which candidates from a range of parties will be elected, hopefully in future elections we see a diversity of age, race and gender throughout Parliament.
