Kate Ellis has something to prove. She’s young, and she’s female, and she’s the youngest female member of the House of Representatives.

And yet, in her first speech to Parliament, Ellis was quick to point out she has “no intention to be the voice of the youth.”

Ellis is clearly feeling her age (a mere thirty years) as the election approaches and she campaigns energetically to stay on as the Labor Member for Adelaide. She narrowly won the seat from the Liberals in 2004 and has since worked hard to silence critics who suggest the kid's only concerned with discos and recess.

Has youth then become a dirty word in politics? Ellis laughs down the phone from Adelaide and assures me it is not the case.

“The stereotype can get in the way, but you develop a pretty thick skin,” says Ellis. “If the worst thing they can say about me in Parliament is that I’m young and I’m female, then I’m not too worried.”

And don’t they loving saying it. In replies to her speeches in Parliament, government MPs commend the younger politician for getting through her speech like schoolteachers encouraging a slow learner. The location of her seat in the parliamentary chamber ensures that her fresh, photogenic face regularly graces the nightly news, which has been suggested is far from incidental. The most intense media coverage Ellis has received was not from a policy proposal, but over allegations she was sexually harassed by Mark Latham in 2005, allegations she bemusedly rejects.

It’s unsurprising Ellis hasn’t joyfully embraced the “voice of the youth” label. All the fuss undoubtedly detracts from the universal issues which she speaks about with passion. A number of issues, such as reconciliation and climate change, are close to Ellis’ heart, and she relishes the opportunity to speak on them undistinguished from her opponents by her supposed age handicap.

“The one thing that has frustrated me the most in my three years in Parliament is the lack in long term thinking,” Ellis says. “This government truly is putting forward proposals to get them through the next election, without thinking about the ramifications in twenty years time.”

The fact, in twenty years time, Ellis will be a still sprightly 50 years old suggests she plans to be around to see her long term policies through. By that time Ellis will have experience and political maturity beyond her peers.

Ellis. the daughter of a schoolteacher and baker, grew up on the banks of the River Murray in South Australia.  Today, she remains passionate about the health and future of the river.

Although she insists she’s still sometimes surprised to find herself in Parliament, her political trajectory would suggest otherwise. She joined her first union at 15 when she was a checkout chick, edited the student newspaper at university, and was president of the student’s union. Sttudying whilst the tertiary education sector underwent extensive funding changes, the increase in HECS fees was one issue that inspired Ellis to pursue politics.

In Parliament, Ellis has spoken eloquently and persuasively on a range of topics, attacking the government’s stance on its handling of David Hicks, its approach to climate change and the lack of national support for eating disorders. And yet one-on-one she is reluctant to stray too far from the party line (and, yes, she used the crowd favourite “working families” in the opening of our interview).

Her answers are sunny and optimistic, as would be expected from a pollie working around the clock to hang on to a marginal seat. She is warm, but is just a little too ready with a cute anecdote about kids in her electorate. She pauses before answering, and responds moderately and positively. Her caution suggests the scrutiny under which politicians operate is all the more intense for her.

Ellis is caught in something of a Catch-22. The imperative to prove herself worthy of the bear pit means she cannot champion important youth issues without being dismissed as narrow-minded, inexperienced and neglectful of her wider electorate. And yet, her unique position as the youngest member of parliament and her reluctance to do just that seems a wasted opportunity.

Its discomforting to think the youngest member of parliament might have to hush up about her youth to be respected as a politician. When I put this to Ellis its clear this hasn’t escaped her, and she counters by asking if I “really think there is one person who could claim to be the voice of the youth?”

“From my experience campaigning and life in general, young people aren’t all one and the same,” Ellis says. “They have differing opinions on a diverse range of issues. What we need is more young people in Parliament to contribute to a healthier debate. The more diverse Australian politicians are, the better.”

Jacqueline Breen, 19, will be 'tracking' Howard during the last week of the campaign. She is currently studying Media and Communications at the University of Sydney.