Twelve months ago, a nervous Melanie Koop walked into her local federal polling booth to vote for the very first time.
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From the Wimmera in Victoria, Melanie is studying nursing and psychological science at Deakin University in Warrnambool.
That first vote, Melanie said, was very much guided by her parents.
"I didn't know much about politics to be honest ... I was new to voting, so I didn't really know what I was voting for but walking in there I was pretty intimidated and a bit nervous.
"It is a little intimidating when you are voting for the first time and you don't know what to do but once you get into the booth and you're actually voting, it kind of makes it easier when you see everything you're voting for."
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She described her first voting experience as a privilege.
"As an 18-year-old, you want a voice and it's good to be able to have that voice and be considered as an adult."
For Melanie, issues of equality and the environment were important then - and are still to this day.
"We are in a society where discrimination still occurs, which is unfortunate. I think we all need to be on the same level, equal and supporting each other.
"Environmental issues are also important. We need to take care of where we are living because if we don't then we won't survive long either."
In a world of COVID-19 uncertainty, is voting more important now than it has ever been?
"I think it's always been important, so I don't know if it's more than ever," Melanie said.
"However, I think it's definitely important now because we are facing issues that we have never faced previously."
What advice does Melanie have for young people approaching voting age?
"Don't be intimidated, I know I was quite nervous about doing it and if I was voting for the right thing.
"It's a privilege to be able to vote because once upon a time, especially women, weren't allowed to vote, so take the opportunity to try and better the future because that's what it really is all about."
If she was voting today, would she vote the same way as she did 12 months ago?
"I would vote differently.
"I'm at uni now, so I've seen different things, you change your mindset a little bit."
