Claudia Cox, 18, Sea Lake, Victoria

For me the drought is a very important issue. I don’t think it was just something that happened last year, it’s not like we can say it’s a new year and move on and then forget all about it. It still affects us because we have to spend money to put crop into the ground, praying that this year is going to be goodbut it hasn’t rained at all where I live yet, and that is not a great sign.

I think attention to any other teen issues such as mental health and education is super-important and should be addressed as well. I’ve spent a lot of time dealing with rural education, I’ve worked really closely with the country education partnership and had several meetings with the officials in the education department.

Sometimes I feel that the politicians spend money on the things they think they will be beneficial but don’t actually ask the students what would be beneficial. An example of this is the recent funding that has gone towards virtual learning. Cluster schools would be more beneficial.

I don’t think there is much politicians can do to the drought that would make a big difference to my life specifically – except make it rain. And I don’t think handing out money is as easy as it sounds, considering how many people it has to go out to and also considering that some need it more than others – but it would be nice!

I don’t think politicians could make a big difference to my life but I think they could implement something that could help specifically farmers, which I guess would benefit me in the long run and this is something I would really like to see happen. I think people don’t see how detrimental drought can be if you or your family is not experiencing it yourself. That’s why I think people don’t really understand what people are going through. People probably ask themselves why don’t we just pack up and get another job.

I don’t think they understand that the farm is our livelihood. A mental health program could be implemented for farmers, as dealing with debt can be very stressful, and I don’t think farmers, well I know my dad, wouldn’t be one to reach out to broader mental health services online.

I have no idea what is going on with the election, to be completely honest. All I know is my family usually votes for the Liberals because they usually help us out the most, but that’s a pretty dated fact, I’m not too sure.

Oscar Alateras, Melbourne, Victoria 16

When I think about what is important to me in this election, the answer is without a doubt climate change.

As a 16-year-old student, I am unable to vote, but alongside tens of thousands of other young Australians we have made our voices heard loud and clear that we are demanding climate action. I see this election as an excellent opportunity to achieve this. To date, I have not seen much “real climate action” within my government, but I have a great deal of hope that this will change once the election comes to a close.

Many may ask: “Why would you be hopeful – neither Labor or Liberal have shown us the necessary levels of commitment to effectively tackle climate change?” My answer to that is simple: the power of the people is rapidly growing, and it will provide the impetus needed to adequately address climate change. Ultimately, the government’s role is to best represent the needs of the people.

If this were to happen, it would take away the fear that I have every day. The fear that I wake up with each morning, afraid for what my future will hold as a result of the consequences of climate change.

I know that I am not alone in feeling this, and with climate change at the top of many people’s political agenda, I see this election as an excellent opportunity to replace that fear with hope for a brighter future.

School students hold up placards in a climate protest outside the Liberal headquarters in Melbourne earlier this month. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea Meulders, Naracoorte, South Australia, 17

It won’t be long before I am able to cast my own vote in an election and as I become more aware of what is happening in government I find myself even more confused. Politics and government have never been something that is widely discussed in my social circle, and the most exposure we get is via social media, which is not exactly the most reliable source.

I’m finding it difficult to source positive, informative and honest information that will help me make a decision on who I would want to lead my country. We are currently being bombarded by “Don’t vote for them, vote for me” campaigns. I don’t see any value in these campaigns, and they would not sway me to vote for either major party. All of the ads just seem to be saying what the “other people” aren’t doing, rather than what they will do for Australia.

I’m sitting here with the television on in the background and I just saw the Liberal ad. Sadly the only message I garnered from that ad was what the other party is doing wrong, instead of what they are doing and can do for Australia.

I’ve seen on social media that a particular candidate has spentmore than $50m for his campaign to be voted in; I just can’t comprehend that. Spending that amount of money simply on advertising is ridiculous when our country is still suffering from the effects of drought, the floods, and the lack of support for the rural communities that keep our country alive.

I wish that Australia, as people, were closer to their government. I wish we had the passion that other countries have for their leader. I look at how [people in] the United States look up to their presidents and I don’t see that reflected in our country. I feel that our government is out of touch with what matters most to the everyday person.

Isabella Pearson, New South Wales central coast, 18

This is my first time voting for who I would like to run this country. The main concerns I would love the party that I vote for to have in mind are: equality for disadvantaged people who may not have the same opportunities as more advantaged individuals in society, funding for public schools, closing the gap between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians, giving immigrants a place in our extremely lucky country and helping people in poverty have the opportunities to escape.

I’m not too sure if all of this is possible, or if they offer it as I haven’t had a lot of time to look into it yet, but they are my main concerns as an Australian teenager. I do not want to vote for the Liberal party or parties which are similar because I do not believe in what they put forward in terms of equality, immigration and climate change.

I think that we should be in transition to swapping to renewable energy sources to try and decrease our contribution of harmful greenhouse gasses into the environment. Instead of adding in new coalmines we should be focusing on the opposite. I do not know much about the economy and how switching from non-renewable energy to renewable would affect it, but I think that the future of our Earth is much more important.

My friends and I, when talking about the election and politicians, usually end up on the topic of music festivals and the rumours about them being banned but [also] most importantly climate change. It seems to be on everybody’s minds, especially us as teenagers with our whole lives ahead of us, and our children’s futures to look out for also.

Grace Vipen, Brisbane, 19

This election, it’s been made clear to me that a lot of young people are having a hard time figuring out who to vote for.

For a lot of us it’s our first federal election and the only thing we really have to go off is our Vote Compass results, which regularly just places us straight in the middle. Humorous, but telling: the Vote Compass results of a good friend of mine indicated they were best aligned with 50% Greens, 50% One Nation.

As a young person, especially one who grew up in rural Australia and now lives in a state capital, balancing my interests is proving especially difficult. I want strong climate action but I also want tougher penalties on extreme activists who trespass on family farms and properties.

As a university student, I want more heavily-subsidised medical, dental and education, but I also want support for farmers and a smarter approach to drought, water and dam infrastructure.

The other thing that makes it hard? The only youth-related issue recently on the political agenda, apart from the occasional whisper for free university, is what to do about youth crime.

It’s all a bit odd considering the highest ever rate of young people are enrolled to vote, and yet the debate on pill-testing appears to have died and been swiftly replaced with superannuation.

This election, I want to see more collective agreement and action over issues [that are] straightforward to a lot of those outside of party lines: climate change is a real thing, regional areas need more jobs, animal welfare is important, trespassing is illegal and should remain so, water management needs more attention, and a person’s quality of life should not depend on whether they are born in the middle of Australia or in a capital city.