HE'S young and very green in the world of politics, but that might just be his advantage in the race for Calare.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Complete our election survey: have your say on the biggest issues in regional Australia as we head to the polls in 2025
Ben Parker is the candidate for The Greens, hoping to becoming the next federal member for the region.
At 21 years old, he is easily the youngest candidate on the ballot, and he will be challenging seasoned politicians in Andrew Gee and Sam Farraway.
While there is a clear experience gap, Mr Parker says his age puts him in a unique position to speak on behalf of a section of the population that's very under represented in Parliament.
"There are players in the race at the moment who have been there, done that already," Mr Parker said.
"Everyone has their first time running. All I can do is try my best.
"I think that I've got what it takes and I hope I'm able to prove that. Despite my age, I definitely believe that we've got the power to make real impact and I hope that's really the message I can get across."
He says his greatest strength is his ability to listen.
"Most importantly, I'm someone who's willing to consult with the community and listen to their voices and their concerns," he said.
"... I'm willing to have a chat with anyone. I'm willing to listen to anyone's concerns."
Historically, The Greens have not performed well in the Calare electorate.
In the last three elections, the party has attracted no more than 7.22 per cent of the first preference votes, with the number declining since 2016.
Mr Parker, though, says his values align with The Greens and he thinks the party has something to offer communities in the Central West.
"It's all about strong action on climate change, addressing the cost of living crisis, addressing housing affordability, which is definitely a big one for me as a young person," he said.
"All of them are very critical issues that we need to be looking at."
His campaign centres on those issues in particular.
A policy he backs is incorporating dental and mental health into Medicare and making GP visits free.
Mr Parker said this enables families to save money at a time where every cent counts.
"With dental and mental health into Medicare, that means it's all covered under Medicare. That is obviously a good cost of living relief for families and, of course, we are pushing very hard for free GP appointments as well," he said.
When it comes to the climate, renewable energy is a top priority for Mr Parker.
He is against the Coalition's plan for nuclear energy and said he would support policies that would make renewables more accessible and affordable.
He also said the Central West has prime locations that could be used for larger renewable energy projects that can benefit the broader region.
That includes solar farms and wind farms.
"Having different renewables projects around the region helps to bring down the cost of electricity, generates new jobs," Mr Parker said.
However, recent history shows these projects face significant community position.
Mr Parker knows he would need to change those attitudes to achieve those objectives, and he said it would come down to communication.
"It is something that is quite tough, because it's very hard to change the mind of someone who has already formed an opinion and aren't particularly looking to change their mind," he said.
"I'd say, really, that it's important just to have very open discussions about these issues and just present the facts, just trying to address some of the misinformation that might be out there, and trying to address any concerns that any party might have is really the main thing we can do."
Who is Ben Parker?
Mr Parker was born in Darwin in 2004 and within a few months his family moved to Orange.
He attended Calare Public School and Orange High School.
After graduating school, he went on to study a Bachelor of Information Technology at Charles Sturt University.
Initially, he was studying on campus in Bathurst, but he has since switched to distance education as he finishes his degree.
When he is not studying, he is working at an IT business in Orange.
He also ran as the number four candidate on David Mallard's ticket for the Orange City Council election in 2024.
