As speculation continues about exactly when Australia will go to the polls in the 2025 federal election, young voters are uniting to demand their concerns are heard as the political parties and would-be politicians pitch for our votes.

One such voter is 26-year-old Maddy Yerbury from Lake Heights. After completing a Biology degree at the University of Wollongong, Maddy recently started a role as Organiser with Tomorrow Movement, a national group that describes itself as "an unstoppable movement of young people fighting for a society with good jobs, great public services and a safe climate for all".

"Our aim is to create a youth voter bloc which will push for a safer climate, First Nations justice and a climate jobs guarantee where everyone who wants one has access to good jobs," Maddy said.

Maddy says the Tomorrow Movement will be active in the weeks and months leading up to this year's election, which is due to occur between now and May.

"I think like most Australians, young people are impacted by the cost of living and housing crisis which are more front of mind now than at the last election."

The power of the youth vote

Maddy warns that young people have the potential to be more influential than ever before when we head to the polls.

"As we lead into the 2025 federal election, Generation Z and the Millennials will make up close to 50 percent of the electorate and our votes will play a deciding factor in the outcome of the election.

"This is why young people are mobilising in movements like the Tomorrow Movement, who are organising a Youth Voice Bloc to demand from our politicians a type of politics that works for young people."

Seeking a more safe, secure future

"As young people, the economic, political and social pressures are glaring," Maddy said. "Most people in my generation will rent their whole lives, never having the financial security of a house, let alone investment properties.

"Most of us are questioning whether we can afford to have children, and if it's ethical to raise kids in a climate plagued by heatwaves, floods and bushfires.

"Across the world we see attacks on our basic human rights, as women's right to control their own bodies, and trans people's rights to exist, are brought into political debate. 

"The effects of these social crises are cumulative and exacerbated for people with disabilities, First Nations people, people of colour, people without intergenerational wealth, and other intersecting identities.

"Young people know that the current system isn't working for us, and the government has shown us time again that they don't have the political power or will to make meaningful change."

Pushing for big changes

"By acknowledging the root causes of the injustices we face, we can push for transformative change to address our collective struggles."

Maddy’s parents have had a big influence on her life. Her father, the late Prof Justin Yerbury AM, a former Wollongong Citizen of the Year, studied Motor Neurone Disease.

"As a scientist he taught me to be curious. Mum (Rachel) is a psychologist. She has helped me to process my feelings about the world."

For more information about the Tomorrow Movement, visit their website or follow on Instagram