Now, as this group of 17 and 18-year-olds prepare to cast their votes for the first time, they reflect the politics of their time.

Leadership spills and a hung parliament have left them feeling battered and confused. They are distrustful, cynical and disconnected.

Some would even be happier if they didn't have to turn up to vote on September 14 at all.

''How are we supposed to trust Gillard, or anyone in either party, who had anything to do with stabbing a co-worker in the back?'' Gungahlin College student Gabrielle Strong said.

Year 12 students from Gungahlin College who will be among voters at the federal election said they cared about major policy issues but they felt disconnected from government parties and politicians. ''There's a lapse in understanding between politicians and the youth. We can't relate to them, the language they use is confusing and they're not engaged enough in the same communication spaces that we are, like social media,'' Jessica Lutan said.

But even those with social media smarts weren't cutting through, according to Ben Peterson.

''Sure, they might have a Twitter account, but honestly, I don't think they know how to communicate with our generation. There's more interesting things on the internet than Tony Abbott,'' he said.

Although some students had party preferences, they collectively agreed that there was no single political leader in the current arena who they trusted enough to follow. Nomalanga Gudu said: ''I won't be voting for a leader. They're all too involved with themselves. There's the Gillard and Rudd debacle with Abbott on the side creating useless, hostile debates. I would rather just vote for the party that addresses the things I care about most.''

The chaos of the two Parliaments that have followed Mr Rudd's election have left this new group of voters feeling a sense of nostalgia for former prime minister John Howard.

While they were just children during most of the Howard years, the students reflected on the period as one of stability.

Some said if they had the chance to vote for him, they would. The Australian Electoral Commission is conducting studies on the lack of youth enrolment and engagement in the voting process as part of its Youth Electoral Study.

The survey found that about half of young Australians aged between 17 and 25 felt they lacked the knowledge to understand politicians, political parties and how their vote could impact the issues they cared about. The teenagers said that young people were as invested in policy issues as older generations, but growing up during a time of political disarray had not inspired them to cast their first vote with party leaders in mind.

Ben Peterson said: ''Teenagers are the procrastinating sort, so if educating ourselves on politics is as tedious as homework, maybe you should just ask me the night before the election who I'm voting for.''