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BALDIVIS university student and disability advocate Jordon Steele-John is looking forward to becoming Australia’s youngest ever Senator, representing WA and the Greens in Senate.
Mr Steele-John (22) has been supported by the WA Greens if he is elected to the Senate as a result of a countback.
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READ NOWThe move follows the resignation of Senator Scott Ludlam last week amid revelations he was a dual-citizen, still holding citizenship in his country of birth, New Zealand.
The question of Mr Ludlam’s eligibility must first be determined by the High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns.
“We are only at the beginning of this process and there are still a lot of steps to go, but I am ready to do this job,” Mr Steele-John said.
“My decision has come after careful reflection, as befits the significance of the role.”
He said the future belongs to young people.
“We need to be represented in our parliament. There is a very large group of people who will now have a voice that truly understands and represents their interests,” he said.
“Over the course of my life I’ve learnt that to be a young person with a disability in contemporary Australia is to occupy the intersection of some of our society’s most ingrained myths and most damaging preconceived ideas.”
Some of his priorities if elected to the Senate would be to fully fund and implement a world-class NDIS; having young people involved in the decisions that affect them; and the transition to a renewable, clean energy future.
“I now look forward to tackling these issues on the floor of the Senate,” he said.
Greens WA co-conveners Sarah Nielsen-Harvey and Grahame Bowland said that Mr Steele-John had been an active Greens member for many years and he was well known and respected outside the party for his work in the youth and disability sectors.
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