Research by the YMCA revealed this to be the opinion of 74 per cent of Australians aged between 13 and 22 earlier in the year. 

And although they repeatedly tell the YMCA and the Australian government that marriage equality is of paramount importance to them and they overwhelmingly support it, 86 per cent of young people still feel unheard in decisions regarding this issue Ballarat YMCA chief executive officer Kate Phillips said. 

“Studies have shown, particularly in Ireland when they did their referendum last year, that the impact of a plebiscite and the communications regarding that were incredibly damaging to the mental health of young people. Already we know that one in four young people have a serious mental health condition and the effect of the plebiscite would just exacerbate that, particularly for those who are vulnerable in the LGBTI community.” Ms Phillips said she thinks the damage seen in the Irish referendum came from the way that anti-marriage advocates communicated their message. 

“Obviously I think respectful discourse on important issues are incredibly important. Respecting all sides. With young people, there may be some experiencing anguish in coming to terms with their sexuality and to be doing that at the same time Australia is having this conversation is an incredibly daunting prospect,” Ms Phillips said.

Volunteer Amanda Gailiss, who represents the voice of youth on radio and was named Victoria’s youth governor at last year’s YMCA youth parliament, said the plebiscite is particularly damaging for young people and is another demonstration of inequality. 

“I’ve already seen a lot of social media posts from friends who want equality. It’s definitely put a lot of strain on them personally. The discouragement they’ve faced because of who they are has worn them down. This is perfect avenue for people against marriage equality to disregard the emotions of those affected. I think it’s a really tough time for those people,” Ms Gailiss said. She said one reason behind young people being an under represented demographic on the electoral roll, with 18 per cent between the age of 18 and 25 not enrolled to vote, could be due to uncertainty on the voting process and not wanting to make a wrong decision.

“Another thing to consider is that young people don’t feel that their voices are being heard by politicians. Some young people may not see the point in voting if they feel that their views are not being considered.” she said.