When you look at the state of Australian and world politics, you sometimes can’t help but despair at the parlous state of affairs we find ourselves in. Is it any wonder that so many are politically disengaged?
Yet, for some young people, politics, civic representation and student activism is their passion. What would motivate someone to get involved with party politics? Well, we’re going to find out exactly that in this week’s episode.
Interview Transcript:
Nick: Welcome to Resolved, great to have you with us! Now in recent weeks we’ve seen coordinated protests around the nation, several Federal politicians have been heckled on our university campuses and a national TV program hijacked by student protestors.
So what is going on in the world of student activism? With me in the studio to discuss this is Ben Gilholme from NSW Young Labor. Ben, welcome.
Ben: Thanks for having me, Nick.
Nick: Now you’ve been involved with Young Labor for some time now, what drew you to student politics and to the Labor Party?
Ben: I’ve always been in student politics, if you can believe that, so in primary school we had a mock youth parliament. I kind of worked with my school on addressing some of the issues around there which was fantastic and tried to follow it into high school, became the SRC leader for four and a half years.
I say what drew me mainly was my family, my grandparents mainly had some good political discussions that got me to think about things in the process and so, around about the age of fifteen, a mate of mine talked to me about a few things and introduced me to the Labor Party, in many ways. I had a look at everyone else’s policies, in the process and Labor just met what I was sort of thinking, at the time and still is.
Nick: Now you’re a passionate Christian?
Ben: Yep.
Nick: Have you ever felt that you’ve needed to compromise on your faith in order to maintain your involvement in the Labor Party?
Ben: Well I would say, being a person who took Christianity seriously around about mid-teens, being a person whose been actively in the Christian faith, as well as being active in the Labor Party, I’d say I haven’t.
At the end of the day, for those people who do have a faith and are part of a political party, it’s just a matter of looking at whether they still meet the values of what you joined at the time and whether they still meet how you work in your faith, as well.
Nick: How do you reconcile the Labor Party’s platform, which is supportive of changing the Marriage Act with your Christian convictions?
Ben: I’d say, in the process, that the Marriage Act is one of the things that sort of splits certain people in the party because they do have a particular faith, like those who have a Catholic, Anglican background. Like Deb O’Neill, who’s a strong (Roman) Catholic in the Labor Party, who’s made it quite clear that she’s not supportive of gay marriage. But, in that process, she’s not saying she’s completely off the table to helping those recognise what they know as a relationship either. I mean, I share the same view as Deb on that.
As a Christian, I personally say that if gay marriage was to come through in the first place, we’d have to change the definition of a marriage itself, which is not very popular. I’ve always been a person that’s said that I’m not a supporter of gay marriage, but guaranteeing that there’s a little bit of discussion on amending the Act on civil unions, because clearly there’s an opportunity for their rights to be recognised, as well as the sanctity of marriage remains in that process, as well.
When the party talks about those things, sure, I may disagree on those things, but, at the end of the day, it is purely working as a team, not just going “Oh, you don’t agree with me, I’m just going to leave the party”, type of thing.
Nick: So you think it’s important for Christians who are in the Labor Party to stay there and fight the good fight for the beliefs that they have, rather than going to say the Christian Democrats or faith based parties?
Ben: Well, that’s exactly right because, at the end of the day, when it comes down to it, your faith is your faith and you’ve got to stand by it.
Nick: In what ways does your faith in Jesus relate to your support of the Labor Party?
Ben: Education, Health has been built on Christian values and that’s what has built us into a great nation now and I mean, that’s also been the case in many different countries as well. The fact that the party itself shares my values when it comes to education is a big supporter for me. That’s exactly why I joined the party, to look at things like education, look at health and look at others things that Christians have built towards.
Nick: There’s a perception within the community that much of the Christian church seems to be partisanly (sic) aligned with Conservative parties such as the Liberals, the Nationals, the Christian Democrats, Family First, you name it. Is this perception true and what can Labor do to attract Christians back to their cause?
Ben: So to address the first part of that, I would say, sure, there might be a few people in churches who are being in the background of a Liberal or Christian Democrat and that’s their choice, clearly. But in that process, I’d say there’s a lot of swing voters in churches as well.
I’d probably say there’s over fifty percent that are still swing voters in the process and it’s not because there’s a particular policy on the Liberal side, it’s just a matter at the election time, whether people are actually willing to actually look at the policies on both ends.
As for Labor, again, it comes to them at the election time, making sure their policies are known to people and not just talking in legal jargon, but spoken in a way that people will understand, that this is going towards education because we need to put funding towards it. People will understand that.
Nick: One criticism often levelled at the Labor Party is that it has abandoned its working-class roots, the Howard Battlers, as the Liberals like to call them. Is there any truth to this claim and is Labor more concerned about inner-city elites than the working-class?
Ben: Well I have to say no to that, just because (a) I’m from Campbelltown. I’ve always, and I mean, always worked with both sides of politics here and Labor has always put the best interests first.
We had a Labor Government who has provided infrastructure across many different parts of Sydney, a perfect example of it is the widening of the M5 down near Campbelltown. We’ve seen many upgrades throughout the process and we were putting forward different things like the NBN, because we knew at least those in rural and regional NSW got the infrastructure they needed and deserved.
Nick: Politically speaking, what areas do you think young people are passionate about and why?
Ben: I think young people have many different areas of which they’re interested in. It’s not to say they have one particular area they focus on and lock jaws into. At the end of the day, people will go to what they’re interested in mainly.
So people might like trains and that may lead to transport, or they like how their teacher has taught them over a particular way and so, in which case, they might be encouraged to go to Education and just getting in the conversation itself is a rewarding process, in the first place.
Nick: What vision do you have for Australia?
Ben: Well, there’s a few different things that any person could do if they had abundance of resources at their disposal. I think, if I was in the Abbott camp, one of the things I’d be looking at possibly is still trying to find a way of the Gonski reviews to continue on because one of the things that we have known for many, many years is that public education hasn’t been able to compete with the private sector and that’s because there’s lack of resources going towards where it needs and infrastructure needs as well.
And not only that, I’d be look at, possibly, a different way to look at competing on the global scale, as well as changing the way we do manufacturing here, to encourage more investors to come here, rather than do nothing and still stick with the 1960’s model of manufacturing.
Nick: Now one question that we like to ask people on this show is where they see themselves going in the coming years. Ben, where do you see your political career leading you? Premier? Prime Minister?
Ben: Well, I have to say, political career is one of those things that you’ve got to take into consideration with people that you’re around. So who knows, if I get offered a position to join a parliament, I’d say I’d have to talk with my spouse, at that time and so I’d say I’d consider it, but I wouldn’t say I’d go straight into it.
Nick: Fair enough. Ben Gilholme, thank you for your time.
Ben: Thank you.
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