Hi, I'm Rohan.
I'm a proud socialist and a young person born and raised in the Bendigo region - working and studying here.
As a young person I am uniquely affected by the growing housing crisis. Many young people struggle even to enter the rental market and the prospect of ever owning a house is becoming more distant by the day. We desperately need an expanded public housing sector that can actually provide for people currently struggling with housing insecurity or homelessness.
The growth of the far right in Australia and internationally is a big concern for many people of my generation - particularly those within the queer community. Trans rights are being stripped away by right-wing parties including the Liberals while trans kids are facing constant attacks from right-wing politicians and media - leading to lifelong mental health struggles.
The rights of workers are also under attack. Billionaires and the super-rich exercise unfair influence over our political system - entrenching exploitation, wage theft and poor conditions with the support of their paid political servants in the major parties.
Workers create all the wealth that’s enriching those at the top of society. Meanwhile, they lecture us about the need for “wage constraint” while profiteering from their control of essential resources and services. Increased unionisation of workers and the establishment of greater democracy at a workplace level is the only way to combat the one-sided class war being waged against us.
I’m also passionate about addressing the climate crisis. The Liberals ignore this entirely, while Labor offers only band-aid solutions that do nothing real to limit emissions. It’s the working class that will bear the brunt of climate change, not those who are responsible for it. The economic burden of dealing with the climate and environmental crisis must fall primarily on those who have profited from destroying the environment: the big polluters and other major corporations.
By running as a Victorian Socialists candidate in this election I hope to shake up the kind of ‘politics as usual’ that has brought us to a point where my generation has little hope for the future. Australia is among the richest countries on Earth - we can afford to build a more just, equal and sustainable society where everyone has a chance at a decent life.
To do that though we need to get organised and fight back. Our campaign in Bendigo will be a small step in that direction. Get involved!