1. When and why did you decide to become a politician?  
I think people need to hear our message of lower taxes, smaller government and individual liberty. We’re not right-wing or left-wing. We just believe that freedom works.

2.    What do you think are the issues that matter to young people? 
Young people tend to have an anti-authoritarian streak. They resent the government thinking it knows what’s best, and generally agree with the idea of leaving people alone as long as they aren’t hurting anyone else. I think they’re tired of do-gooders trying to ban everything under the sun, from junk food to marijuana, to smoking on private property.

3.    How do you plan to address these issues? 
I’m in favour of legalising victimless crimes like smoking marijuana, because if we treated pot the same way as we treat cigarettes, the police could spend more time chasing up murderers and rapists instead of people who just want to get high without bothering anyone else. As for smoking, pub owners should be able to decide the rules, as it’s their property. Some venues get most of their business from smokers, while others cater to non-smokers.

4.    How do you engage with young people to find out what issues matter to them? 
It’s easy for me, because I’m around my peers all day at university. To engage with young people you’ve got to show them how their daily lives are affected by government poking its nose into things that are none of its business. For instance, my gay friends support the Liberty and Democracy Party because we would equalise homosexual and heterosexual rights.

 
5.    What did you care about when you were a young voter? 
This is the first time I’m voting at a federal election. The anti-terrorism laws are very important to me, because of their impact on our civil liberties. There has never been a single death from terrorism in Australia, and statistically the risks from terrorism are no greater than they have been in the past. There’s no reason why the anti-terror laws shouldn’t be repealed.

6.    What is your opinion of young people in Australia? 
They are the friendliest and most optimistic people I have ever met. And they’re very diverse and quirky.
 
7.    How do you think our political system can better engage with younger voters? 
The political system will engage with younger voters if they themselves engage with the system. And this will happen automatically, if there’s an issue that riles them up. But we shouldn’t forget that we have one of the highest tax burdens in the developed world. We need to lower taxes to give young people an incentive to stay in Australia instead of moving overseas. How can they engage with the system if they’re driven away from it?

8.    What are the key long-term challenges facing Australia? 
The key challenge is global warming. Not because Australia is going to be under the sea in 20 years. It’s because the response to climate change has been disproportionate. Indeed, we may lose some of our liberties as a consequence of schemes like the Kyoto Protocol. Free-market environmentalism is the best way to tackle global warming. As a first step, let’s end the perverse $10 billion in subsidies we give to fossil fuel companies.

9.    If you could change one thing about Australia what would it be? 
I would change the way decisions are made. For starters, the onus of proof should be made to fall on those who wish to restrict our freedom -- if you want me to pay taxes for your grand public schemes, you had better prove it works well, and by that I mean it works better than the private alternative. I shouldn’t have to prove it won’t work, because I’m not the one imposing my will on you in the form of higher taxes. Too often politicians get away with only presenting the benefits side of the equation, but never the costs.

10.    Describe a time when your political opinion was challenged or changed.  
For a long time I was instinctively against liberalising Australia’s gun laws. Then I dug deeper into the horror stories we hear from the US, and learned almost every single mass shooting occurred in a ‘gun-free zone’, where teachers and students were systematically disarmed by their government and left unable to defend themselves. My knee-jerk bias against gun ownership for self-defence was challenged, and now I realise that law-abiding citizens in Australia are similarly denied a potent deterrent against criminals.

11.    What's your favourite thing about your electorate? 
The people! As well as the coast -- Corangamite has beautiful beaches at Lorne and Torquay.

12.    What do you do to relax?
I have a pet rabbit named Jack who plays with me when I’m bored. I also like tennis and watching TV. Lately I’ve become addicted to Facebook.

Email: ssabhlok@gmail.com