Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s direct pitch to Australian youth to support him appears to be already paying off.

In his first speech since toppling Julia Gillard on Wednesday night, Mr Rudd appealed to a disengaged youth by saying: “We need you. We need your energy. We need your ideas”.

Mr Rudd’s comments came the day after The Canberra Times surveyed a group of 17 and 18-year-old first-time voters, who were unanimous in their cynicism and disconnection with politics in the years since Mr Rudd was first elected prime minister.

The same group of Gungahlin College students on Thursday gave cautious approval of Mr Rudd’s attempt to reconnect with them.

And, in what would hearten ALP strategists if representative of a broader attitude, some indicated their vote had already swung behind him. Daryl Sin, who on Tuesday was an undecided voter, said he would now support Labor , largely because of Mr Rudd’s recent public support for gay marriage.

“This really feels like the first attempt by someone to bring us into the political arena,” he said.
“This is an excellent opportunity for us. He’s holding a hand out and it’s up to us whether or not we chose to leave him hanging.”

Jessica Lutan, who on Tuesday said she would vote for the Liberal party, said she was now undecided.

“I think the act is positive, but all we really have is a few words from a previously ousted prime minister that he’ll try to engage us. But he is trying to address the disconnection, and that has to be positive,” she said.

While the students responded positively to Mr Rudd’s recognition of Australian youth, their views on the spill varied significantly.

Kyneton Morris, who intended to vote Labor regardless of the leader, said political instability had come to represent a sense of normality.

“We’ve seen enough leadership changes for the act to have become redundant. I’m very callous towards the idea of spills and back-stabbing,” he said. “I’ve never experienced a time in recent history where I felt a significant connection to a leader because they haven’t been around for long enough to build trust.”
But Labor supporter Nomalanga Gudu said caucus had done what it needed to do. “The Australian people had taken their support from behind Julia Gillard, she wasn’t looking too good in polls and Kevin Rudd was clearly ahead,” she said.

The students said Mr Rudd would need to use his time before the election to prove he meant it. Kyneton Morris said: “When it comes down to it actions speak louder than words, so we’ll see if Kevin can back up his speech with some tangible change.”

Author: Rachel Stokker
Publication: Canberra Times
Date: 28 June 2013