The electoral roll closes shortly after an election has been called, but did you know that it can close as early as 8pm the same day?

The Australian National Audit Office claims that around 1.1 million eligible voters were missing from the roll at the 2007 federal election. The AEC also reports that 70 per cent of voters currently missing from the roll are aged 18-39.

For a democracy to operate effectively, people must have the power and opportunity to elect their representatives. In a country as diverse and multicultural as Australia, it is essential that those in power are aware of the population’s vision for the future – that every voice is heard. Democracy gives you a voice, but if you’re not on the roll, you won’t get the chance to use it!

Australia’s current political climate is chaotic. We recently watched as a new Prime Minister came into power overnight, and have been faced with the roll out of mass sledging campaigns, obscuring the debate around issues like immigration, health, and tax. With all this, it’s little wonder the media are predicting the election will be called sooner rather than later.

A federal election will give us the opportunity to have our voices heard, to vote for policies addressing issues that matter, to participate in the operation of democracy, and to incite positive change. If you’re not enrolled to vote when the election is called, you may miss your chance.

Head to the AEC website now to check your enrolment status and listed address. If you’re not signed up, GetUp! are making it easy by giving you the chance to enrol online, head to www.ozenrol.com from July 16. It only takes three minutes and all you need is your driver’s license.

Once you’re enrolled, stay informed. The more you know about local issues, the greater your ability to incite positive change will be. Follow ElectionWIRE, or the Express Media Electioneering blogs, and stay up to date on issues that matter to the youth of Australia.

It’s compulsory by law, but enrolling to vote will also give you the chance to let politicians know what your priorities are and what theirs should be. Don’t miss your chance — enrol now!

— Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother

In February 2010 hundreds of young Australians filed into the old House of Representatives chamber in Canberra for the chance to grill our then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, live on the ABCs Q&A program. Yet for many, this ‘youth forum’ was a tokenistic reminder of the credence Mr Rudd once gave the issue of youth engagement. It was too little, too late.

Throughout his Kevin07 campaign Mr Rudd distinguished himself from a seemingly out-of-touch John Howard by addressing issues that Australian youth were passionate about, winning the support of more than 70 per cent of voters aged between 18 and 27.

So how do those 18 – 27 year olds feel three years on? How do they feel about what turned out to be a phantom presence on the PMs agenda? How do they feel about the fact that post-Kevin07, the responsibility of constructively engaging youth was left solely up to the Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis, and the Australian Youth Forum initiative? And what impression has Mr Rudd’s crash-and-burn, incomplete first term left on the new generation of youth eligible to vote in the next election? Are they satisfied?

Polls in recent months have documented and broadcast the rapid decline of Labor’s popularity to the benefit of the Greens, and based on that observation alone I’d say the answer is a loud and resounding no. If anything, recent polls suggest that the previously engaged youth of Australia are suffering what could only be described as a Kevin07 hangover, and Julia Gillard has inherited the headache.

So what, in the sober and cold light of day, would the youth of Australia change?

Oxfam initiative 3things has been in conversation with Australia’s youth since 2008, providing an online platform where youth can share ideas and information, challenge perceptions, and contribute to positive social change. In addition to this, 3things has been sending its volunteer street team to festivals and events, inspiring crowds and asking young people everything from, what three things they’d like to change, to what three things they’d do if they were in charge.

Using this innovative brand of social research, Oxfam has unearthed a wealth of youth dissatisfaction. But more importantly, the initiative has been able to pinpoint issues that Australian youth really care about, and what they want to see put back on the political agenda.

Unsurprisingly, these issues include climate change, the environment, poverty, war, mental health, homelessness, immigration policies and Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers. These issues, and others, were once among the top priorities on Kevin Rudd’s to do list, but this alone was not enough to initiate any substantial socio-political change.

Despite the existence of research that charts youth issues and opinions by organisations like Oxfam, the problem of greater invisibility persists. Youth voices are persistently absent across the mainstream media landscape, and will therefore continue play a very limited role in setting and influencing Australian political agendas. This is the challenge faced by many organisations committed to increasing youth engagement in the political process, and we would know.

As Vibewire Youth Inc. gears up for a third term of the innovative ElectionTracker project, the aim is clear: transform youth engagement with the election process — just as Mr Rudd once did.

But with the project’s details yet to be revealed and the election yet to be called, all we can hope is that good intentions and hard work will translate into a lasting effect, on both the engagement of the youth community in the political process (not just when an election comes along) and on our political leader’s capacity to meaningfully address issues impacting Australia’s youth (not just when every other election comes along). If Kevin07 revealed anything, it was that youth are tired of being excluded from political agendas and are waiting to be spoken to, to be listened to and engaged. I just hope Ms Gillard was watching.

Is it the elderly lady that rolls her eyes and becomes impatient by language barriers when she tries to buy a bus ticket? Or is it the young boy who murmurs profanity as he is jostled in a busy street by a person of a different ethnic origin?

In the fast-paced busy world we live in, these actions are frequent and, in most cases, overlooked. Instances such as these are displays of racism, but until recently I wouldn’t have given them a second thought.

Society’s ignorance of racism struck me two weeks ago whilst travelling to the city on a suburban bus. This day in particular the bus was packed with people of varied ages, genders and cultural backgrounds. Approaching the end of the route, a young girl in a burka boarded the bus and moved towards the sole remaining seat, located at the back of the bus between a middle aged male and female, who had slung themselves across the bench seat and were bantering loudly between one another in a loose colloquial manner.

Approaching them the young girl made eye contact with the man, nodding slightly to indicate her intention to take the seat beside him. As opposed to letting her pass, the male gruffly crossed his arms over his chest and grunted under his breath. His female counterpart glanced at the male, scrunched up her nose and made a derogatory comment towards the girl based on her dress code. The male then joined in and the racial slurs continued, becoming more aggressive, heavily profane and belittling with each blow. The young girl stood in the aisle, her head bowed until another seat became vacant. How she must have felt, I could not even imagine.

Timana Tahu recently stood down from the New South Wales State of Origin team to demonstrate his strong belief in the principle of racism; a decision that was met with a mixture of positive and negative support from the Australian public. He aimed to raise public awareness and demonstrate to his children that racism should never be tolerated. Yet there was not one person on that crowded bus that had the courage to speak up and defend a young girl who was being degraded and demoralised at the mercy of her beliefs. Instead we all swallowed the lump of guilt that formed in the back of our throats and gazed out the window, silently willing the situation, the onslaught, to stop. But it didn’t. Regardless of how crude and scary the pair appeared, as an individual, an Australian and as a human being, I am deeply unsatisfied with my actions that day – with all of our actions.

In hindsight I have tried to justify my silence, using the temperament and intimidation of the man as an excuse. And yet I am ashamed of myself. There is no circumstance in which the man’s actions would be justifiable. It is not satisfactory that in a developed multicultural society like Australia people are still subjected to racism, the lowest form of bullying.

It’s unfortunate that not until I witnessed an extreme and confronting act of racist behaviour that I became aware of how deeply engrained racism is in our society. But I believe that each day we grow and learn from our experiences. We become satisfied and dissatisfied. Right now, I have never been so unsatisfied with Australia’s ignorance of racism and our overall poor treatment of one another. I feel this will not cease until we are all made aware of the depth and repercussions of this behaviour so that we can finally achieve the equality we all deserve.

To that young girl, I am so sorry. 

A crowd of hundreds filled the room at UTS to listen to Somaly’s incredible story of survival. The details of her time in the brothel were kept to a minimum. Even now, years after the crimes occurred, the pain of their memory was still evident, “Scars on the outside can be operated on. Scars on the inside I see every time I close my eyes.” The process of her recovery, and the basis of her organisation, is to help others. Unable to forget her past inspired her to confront the pain everyday and generate a future whereby children are safe and free.

Sex trafficking is the world’s fastest growing crime trade. No country is immune, not even Australia. The US State Department in their Trafficking in Persons Report describes “severe forms of trafficking in persons” as:

“(a) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or (b) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.”

Though Australia is listed in this report as Tier 1 (proactive about their fight against trafficking) prosecution numbers are shamefully low. Cambodia, where Somaly Mam was born, has recently moved from Tier 2 Watch to Tier 2, a significant improvement. Part of the Somaly Mam Foundation’s goals is to put pressure on the Cambodian government to strengthen legislation and prosecution efforts. Their other goal is to provide a safe home for the rescued children.

Somaly makes the distinction that the girls at her shelters are not victims but survivors. They have the courage to lift themselves from awful situations and rebuild their lives, sometimes against the wishes of their own family. A heartbreaking reality, Somaly described the number of mothers who visit the shelter only to convince their daughters to return to the brothels. This is a complex  and contentious issue where the girls act as sacrifices for their families’ fight against poverty. For hundreds of sex slaves at the shelters, Somaly Mam acts as their mother.

Bill Livermore, executive director of the Somaly Mam Foundation, spoke to the crowd, announcing his faith in the power this generation holds for change. As a global society, youths today are more aware of international issues and possess the tools to have their voices heard. What separates the young Australian population from the victims of sex trafficking is only this – luck. While the lucky walk around worried about material things, the unlucky are stigmatised and burdened by their scars. This weighed on the audience as Somaly Mam illustrated her efforts to help rape victims as young as five grow from tragedy.

So far Somaly has saved over 6,000 girls from sex trafficking. Compared with the startling figure that 2-4 million people will be sold to sexual slavery this year, it is clear that more aid is desperately needed.

Two groups in attendance at the UTS forum are already showing their dedication towards ending sex trafficking. While one group stood on the stage beside Somaly, the other sat captivated amidst the crowd. Stephanie Lorenzo, the founder of Project Futures, was motivated to create a bike ride fundraiser after reading Somaly’s book, The Road of Lost Innocence. Overwhelmed by the large number of applicants the first bike ride prompted, a simple act of charity soon turned Stephanie Lorenzo into the head of an organisation. Project Futures is organising another cycle fundraiser for 2010 and has already received over $90,000 in donations.

Similarly, a bunch of students from Ascham School in Sydney will demonstrate their support in September this year when they visit Somaly’s shelter in Cambodia. The students have raised money through walkathons, cupcake stalls, selling t-shirts and ‘Jambodia’ (a music concert involving eight Sydney colleges), funding the building of two schools in Cambodia. Their presence at Somaly Mam’s seminar illustrated Mr Livermore’s advise to “think globally but start locally” and “push slavery to the very edge of eradication.”

When the audience slowly milled out of the lecture hall, few walked directly out of the building. The foyer was filled with inspired participants, stuffing pamphlets into their pockets. Somaly Mam will be in Sydney until the 25th of June, catch her while you can.

Justice has long been thought of as one of the strongest pillars of civilisation; a way in which to punish those who deviate from socially accepted behaviour, or cause harm to others. Something that despite being intangible and invisible has generated universal belief. But what happens when justice is delayed, or more tragically, unfulfilled by court cases waiting too long?

Australian artist Ken Done has every reason to lose faith in Australia’s judicial system after waiting three years and nine months to gain a hearing for his lost fortune. Done saw his $61.5 million nest egg dwindle to a mere (though still enviable) $8 million as a result of unsuccessful investments made by Financial Wealth on behalf of Mr. Done (Sydney Morning Herald). In an attempt to recover his fortune, Done set out on what eventuated as a battle of epic proportions to sue Commonwealth Bank and Financial Wealth, its financial advice arm. The lawsuit was initiated in November 2007, beginning as a two-fold case against not only Financial Wealth, but also Allianz who was the insurer that held his accountant’s malpractice policy. However, it is only in August of next year that Done will finally have the opportunity to give his evidence in the Federal Court.

Mr Done’s case is not an isolated one. It appears one requires an almost herculean effort to gain a hearing within the courts of Australia, which should not be occurring in a country promoting a ‘fair go.’ Done’s three years and nine months pales in comparison to the seven years the victims of the bushfires responsible for ravaging Canberra in January 2003 had to wait for results. Seeking compensation for the devastating damage done to their houses by the bushfires, the victims have been battling the ACT and NSW Governments, only receiving their first hearing this year, as reported by ABC news. However, “even after 13 weeks and 4,000 pages of court transcripts,” there were no results. To add insult to injury, the victims are expected to wait yet another year before the rest of their evidence is heard. It is hard to imagine having not only lost so much to something out of your control, but also having to fight so hard for so long, for your silver lining in a very dark cloud.

Obviously, the Australian judicial system has been left wanting. This certainly could be attributed to the insurmountable backlog of cases in Australian courts, with the Victorian courts amongst the worst offenders in delaying cases. According to online press releases by the Victorian government in 2010, more than 42,500 criminal cases are awaiting trial in Victoria’s courts. Though New South Wales has a comparatively lower number, with 26,085 cases, this still represents an unacceptable amount of potential criminals roaming freely and victims waiting for justice.

When the justice system fails those who so fervently believed in it, the possible consequences are varied and often damaging to not only the victims but also society at large. Victims have to deal with not only the event that pushed them into the judicial system, but also with the frustration of having to wait to obtain justice. Cases that are delayed for years have the potential to prevent the victim from ‘moving on,’ by forcing them as witnesses, to relive their memories of the event. Furthermore, as time elapses between the event and the court hearing, it would be understandable that witnesses may not be able to recall the events clearly, creating patchy, inconsistent evidence. Thus, this has the potential to undermine the credibility of the evidence, sometimes resulting in guilty persons walking away from the courtroom without penalty. These delays could also put society at risk, by failing to protect society from criminals as their sentencing is held up, or even lessened due to lack of evidence.

As reported by ABC news, the case of child sexual abuse involving Labor Senator Bob Collins in 2007 shows what happens when a court case is left too long. Collins was accused of child sexual abuse, and after two years of continuous adjournments, he committed suicide two days before his hearing. Certainly, this should provoke an enquiry into the current legal system, as the victims and their families gain no closure through lack of result.

Public confidence in Australia’s judicial system is threatened by its lack of efficiency, as justice is not only delayed, but also in some cases not served as a result of its inefficiency. Respect for the law may then become a casualty, as the absence of law negates any fear of retribution citizens may have. This is perhaps, one of the most critical consequences, which encourages reforms to the judicial system to occur, and fast. In the case of the bushfire victims, something is being done ­­­­– better late than never. The Victorian court will undergo reforms to address the backlog in cases as well as this case in particular, by appointing a fifth ACT justice. This is certainly a start, however, it is obvious from the amount of unheard cases that further reforms will need to occur to improve the efficiency of the legal system.

A quote from Martin Luther King is brought to mind when considering this issue: “Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.” Court case efficiency in Australia needs improvement, if only to uphold the romanticized notion of justice.

Israeli commandos storm a flotilla of aid bound for Palestine, taking six ships by speedboat and helicopter, killing nine activists and detaining 682 others.

Roadside bombs in Afghanistan explode at twice the rate of last year, with two young Australians among the most recent victims.

Russian journalists gather to commemorate 300 colleagues who’ve been murdered in the 20 years since landmark free press laws were passed.

Between 200 and 2000 Kyrgyzstanis are killed in clashes among Kyrgyz and Uzbek mobs.  400,000 flee the chaos – equivalent to the entire ACT population looking for shelter. Food, water and power are also in short supply.

Welcome to a month on planet Earth.  It’s the same month that heralds the release of the Global Peace Index 2010.  Since 2007, the Global Peace Index (GPI) has gauged ongoing domestic and international conflict, levels of militarisation, and safety and security in society across 149 countries. The GPI was established by an Australian technology entrepreneur, Steve Killelea.  It’s prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace and an expert consultative panel, and endorsed by 10 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and many eminent world leaders.  Australian supporters range from Malcolm Fraser and Tim Flannery, to musicians the John Butler Trio.

The results of the GPI 2010 suggest the world has become slightly less peaceful in the past year.  An increased number of violent demonstrations and citizens’ perceptions of criminality are indicators of this change. Iraq has consistently been ranked the world’s least peaceful country since 2007.  Sadly, this year was no exception.  The other least peaceful countries were Somalia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, Georgia, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The serenest country of all was New Zealand, taking top spot for the second year running.  A combination of political stability, respect for human rights, low homicide rate and military expenditure, and good neighbourly relations was what influenced its win. Among the top ten most peaceful countries were Iceland, Japan, Austria, Norway, Ireland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Finland and Sweden.  Australia scraped into the top 20 at #19, although there is little variance in the scores across the top 20.  The UK and France were ranked 31 and 32.

In fact, the study highlights the link between peace and other success factors – a well functioning government, sound business environment, freedom of information, high tolerance and acceptance,  low corruption, and equitable resource sharing.  All of which makes sense.  People are free to achieve their own goals if they don’t live in fear of violence, hunger or repression.  In the words of Russian journalist Vladimir Posner, “How are you going to do your job when you’re afraid you might get killed for it?”

Unrest in high-debt countries like Greece, Spain and Portugal brought down the Europeans’ overall peace rating.  Conversely, our Asia-Pacific neighbours were spread across the field.  Indonesia sits in the middle (#67), while USA (#85) fails to China (#80) presumably due to its international warfronts and domestic homicide rates. Later came PNG (#95), Cambodia (#111), Thailand (#124) and the Philippines (#130).  Timor-Leste and other Pacific Island nations were not rated.

In the four years since the GPI began, the general trend echoes the 2010 results – a slight descent in world peace – with ratings dropped for 3 in 5 countries.  On the bright side, the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East & North Africa have both become more peaceful on average since 2007.

Personal stories can be just as powerful as the statistics. The Sydney Film Festival this month screened Budrus - a documentary about a small village in the West Bank.  The village used non-violent demonstrations to stop the uprooting of its olive trees (central to village livelihoods for generations) and forced the rerouting of Israel’s wall of separation, which would’ve cut through the village school, crop fields and cemetery. It showed Palestinian villagers, a small band of Israelis and other international supporters coming together against military might and political bluster.  It revealed a dramatic and defiant display of peace in the most difficult of circumstances.  But above all it showed the resilience and courage needed to achieve justice by peaceful means.

Like Budrus, the Global Peace Index sheds light on a topic hard to define and all too rarely celebrated.  It makes ‘world peace’ seem less of a cliché and more of a goal whose progress bears close analysis. It reminds us to keep our governments accountable, our institutions strong, and to help others do the same.  At its simplest, it is an annual wake-up call to let us know how we’re treating each other.