The 2025 Federal Election has been officially called for Saturday May 3 2025. Over the coming weeks, we’ll see policies flying, slogans repeated and leaders in high-vis vests touring marginal electorates. It’s all part of the democratic theatre that comes around every three years. While it can feel overwhelming, performative or even cynical at times, this election truly matters. There’s a lot at stake.

We’re living in a time of real global uncertainty: climate disruption, economic strain, global tensions and technological upheaval. These aren’t vague challenges sitting on a distant horizon. They’re here and they’re already shaping the world we live in from how much groceries cost, to whether the middle class will be able to buy a home, to whether the air we breathe is clean.

That’s why I want to use this moment to pause not to argue for any one side or leader but to invite all of us to think bigger, beyond election cycles and short-term gains. To think about the kind of Australia we want to live in 10, 20, even 50 years from now. Because if we don’t start voting with that future in mind, someone else will decide it for us.

Elections often become battles of budgets, promises and one-liners. But what we’re really voting for is direction.

• Do we want a country that continues to subsidise fossil fuels or one that embraces renewable energy, jobs and innovation?
• Do we want to invest in poverty reduction, housing security and mental health or pretend the market will fix itself?
• Do we want calm, collaborative leadership on the global stage or rhetoric that inflames division?

These aren’t hypothetical questions. They’re the very real issues confronting whoever forms government in 2025.

And for too long, politics has been stuck in reactive mode. Addressing crises only when they erupt. Offering band-aids instead of long-term strategy. Choosing what’s popular over what’s needed. But we don’t have that luxury anymore. We can’t ignore climate science. We can’t keep widening the inequality gap. And we can’t afford political point-scoring in an increasingly volatile world.

This election is a chance to demand more from our leaders and from ourselves.

The land of extremes

Australia has always been a land of extremes with droughts, floods and fires but climate change is escalating those natural cycles into full-blown disasters. We’ve seen it already. This isn’t alarmism. It’s reality. And it’s backed by scientists, farmers and the countless people experiencing this new reality.

Transitioning to net-zero is not just an environmental imperative, it’s an economic and national security one too. We have a natural advantage when it comes to solar and wind which opens a huge opportunity to build entire new industries around green energy and sustainable agriculture. But we need the political will to get us there.

The decisions we make now will shape the lives of generations to come. And that makes climate policy one of the most important issues of this election.

The land of the fair go

Australia likes to think of itself as the land of the fair go. But for too many people, that promise is slipping away. Rents are skyrocketing. Wages aren’t keeping up. Casual work is becoming the norm. And for those already doing it tough the support systems are stretched thin or simply failing.

When governments invest in housing, education, healthcare and social security, they lift people out of crisis and into contribution. They strengthen the entire economy and reduce the burden on future services. But when they treat poverty as an individual failing or a budget line to cut, the whole society suffers.

It’s time we stop asking whether we can afford to support people and start asking whether we can afford not to.

The land of global friendship

At this moment, the world feels more unstable than it has in decades. Australia is not immune. We’re a key player in the Indo-Pacific and a country with deep ties to both Asia and the West. Our leadership matters. In times of tension, we need cool heads and steady hands. Leadership that looks beyond headlines and understands nuance. That puts Australia’s interests first, not through jingoism or sabre-rattling, but through thoughtful, strategic engagement.

As global alliances shift, we should watch closely how our leaders speak about defence, migration, foreign aid and trade and ask: are they making decisions that serve Australia’s long-term interests?

The land of self expression

Across the world, conversations around gender identity and sexual orientation are intensifying. In many countries, transgender communities face growing challenges from legal restrictions to social exclusion. Australia is not immune to these global trends.

Research consistently shows that people who can express their identity openly experience better mental health outcomes and stronger community ties. Respecting someone’s gender or sexual identity is not a matter of politics, it’s a matter of dignity.

In a time of uncertainty, reinforcing the right to be yourself isn’t just a social value: it’s a national strength. Those who attempt to divide and delegitimise others should leave you wondering who else they’ll try and strip rights from next.

Where does that leave you?

Voting isn’t about endorsing a perfect leader or party. It’s about using your voice and making a choice that aligns with your values, even if imperfectly.

Between now and May 3, you have the chance to do more than just vote. You can:

• Use tools like Vote Compass to understand where you sit on key issues.
• Read party policies, not just headlines. Dig into what’s promised and how it will be delivered.
• Talk to friends and family. Politics doesn’t have to be polarising. Sometimes the most powerful conversations happen around the dinner table.
• Ask candidates hard questions. Especially those running in your electorate. They work for you.
• Get involved if you’re passionate—volunteer, donate, share information online (but make sure it’s accurate!).

A note about me

In the spirit of transparency: this election, I’ll be volunteering some of my personal time to support the Australian Labor Party. That’s a personal choice based on the values I want to see reflected in our country.

But I’m not here to tell you how to vote: what matters is that you vote with intention. Understand the issues that matter to you and reflect on the kind of Australia you want to leave behind. Choose the direction that takes us closer to that vision not just for today, but for tomorrow.