Hayden lines up again

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
HUNDREDS of thousands of teenagers voted in the state and national elections this year, but not many of them took an active role in shaping public policy.
A teenager who was willing to get off the couch, Hayden Ostrom Brown campaigned as an Independent in the Gembrook electorate for last month’s State Election, and said there were far tougher things he could be doing with his time.
The 19-year-old said campaigning was all about time management, and “if I wasn’t doing this I’d probably be on a couch or on the computer.”
“I like to think it’s a noble effort but I don’t want to change in the process,” he said.
Hayden said he was always interested in politics, studying Year 12 politics in Year 11, and currently majoring in politics at Melbourne University.
Hayden’s goal is to encourage others to step up and offer alternatives to the two major parties.
“I’ve spent my life looking at issues and seeing how they can be improved, and I can understand why people feel disillusioned,” he said.
“A lot of people didn’t understand why I was running,” he said.
“There’s a perception that a 19-year-old doesn’t know the pressures of a mortgage and children, but you can’t make the assumption that a 40-year-old with kids and a mortgage can make more of a difference.”
Hayden said he wanted to represent his local voters and be a part of the process.
“There are many areas being ignored, overlooked, unrepresented, and I need to advocate to those community members,” he said.
He said it was important that local candidates listened and made policies according to what people wanted, instead of telling them what they wanted.
Hayden wasn’t intending to run in the State Election, but said the experience was good practice.
“So far I’ve seen politicians can be dirty and disingenuous, and the parties all have different tactics,” he said.
“A lot of my family think I’m crazy – they can’t understand why I’m doing it but they support me.”
The election came during his exams, but Hayden still got out in the community talking to people and attending candidate forums such as the one held in Millgrove.
“My 13-year-old sister was letterbox dropping with me in the rain,” he said.
“My nan and auntie and all my mates were helping with leaflets – I have a new-found appreciation for people who hand out how to vote cards,” he said.
Hayden received 227 votes in the Gembrook electorate, and was proud that two other candidates were knocked out before him.
Hayden is waiting to be pre-selected to run in the next Federal Election as a Democrat, where he will head out and earn every vote so he can “keep the bastards honest”.
“Other candidates are not yet selected and I hope it demonstrates how keen I am,” he said.