High school student juggles classes and McDonald's job while running for parliament

School student Hera Sheppard runs for seat in Victorian election In short: Hera Sheppard has been endorsed as a candidate for the Victorian Socialists to contest the state election. If elected, the teenager would be among the youngest MPs elected in Australia. What's next? Victorians will go to the polls in November. Eighteen-year-old Hera Sheppard is expecting her schedule to be jam-packed over the next few months. In between the demands of high school studies and a part-time job at McDonald's, the year 11 Warrnambool College student will be squeezing in a political campaign. Ms Sheppard has thrown her hat in the ring ahead of Victoria's state election, making her one of the youngest candidates endorsed to contest a seat. "I'm not going to have any free time. I'll be campaigning every minute that I'm not at work or school," she said. "It's quite the sacrifice, but it's something that I'm willing to give up to try and campaign for a better world." Ms Sheppard has been pre-selected by the Victorian Socialists as the candidate for the South West Coast seat. She will go up against incumbent Liberal member Roma Britnell, who has held the seat since a 2015 by-election. The electorate is a Liberal stronghold and has been held by the party since its creation in 2002. It largely spans rural communities, including the regional centre of Warrnambool and the smaller towns of Portland, Port Fairy, Heywood, Terang and Koroit. Ms Sheppard said she aimed to represent the next generation of workers on issues including housing, workers' rights and public transport. She is also advocating for a six-carriage train for Warrnambool's V/Line service with better travel times. Ms Sheppard said she spent most of her life living in public housing, and issues around public housing waitlists and supply were close to her heart. "I think we need to be able to have public housing available for whoever needs them," she said. If elected, Ms Sheppard would be the youngest-ever MP to make it to an Australian parliament. In 2010, Queensland MP Wyatt Roy was elected to the House of Representatives aged 20, and in 2025, 21-year-old Charlotte Walker became the country's youngest senator in South Australia. In Victoria, former premier Jacinta Allan was the state's youngest female MP, elected at 25 years old in 1999. Victorians will go to the polls in November.