Wyatt Roy has quietly gone about his business since all the noise and fanfare that surrounded his historic win in the 2010 Federal Election subsided.

Winning the seat of Longman in Queensland with 52 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote, Roy, then 20, became the youngest person ever to be elected to an Australian parliament.

However, his remarkable achievement hasn’t always been acknowledged by his peers. How do you gain respect in a room full of people who are old enough to be your parents?

‘You have to turn a perceived negative into a positive,’ says Roy. ‘I have turned my age into my asset.’

‘Overcoming perceptions is always going to be a challenge, but it’s a challenge for every elected member. I think I bring a lot of energy to the job whilst also having the patience to listen.’

Since being elected as a representative of the Liberal National Party, Roy has gone about his business quietly but effectively. He says he does what he can to improve his electorate – the electorate that has shown so much faith in him.

‘I represent 140,000 people. It’s my job to empathise, understand, and then be their advocate,’ says Roy.’ They want someone whose got honesty, integrity, and the ability to listen to them. It’s really more about listening than it is talking.’

When asked about the biggest problems that are present in Longman, Roy believes that the rising cost of living is the most important, and would like reduced taxes: ‘To make life easier for people.’

However, he also acknowledges that unemployment and long-term strategic planning are pivotal factors for the future of Longman.

‘There is ten per cent unemployment in the electorate, so this is a challenge as well. Employment here is basically from small business, retail, tourism, and light industry,’ says Roy. ‘All of these require consumer confidence, and to get good confidence you need a stable government that doesn’t crowd the private sector.’

He is also concerned that the region, which is one of the fastest growing areas in Australia, has not adequately planned for the influx of people with respect to infrastructure. ‘We need to know how many hospitals, how many schools and what basic service provision we will need,’ says Roy. ‘That long-term strategic planning to have development in a sustainable way is really important.’

Though he speaks like a seasoned politician, Roy says he was never really attracted to politics. After high-school, he spent his first-year of university at La Trobe in Melbourne, where he studied Bachelor of International Relations.

‘I had a great time at La Trobe. It’s interesting – Harry Jenkins is the local member there [in the Division of Scullin] and he always gives me a hard time about the fact that I went to La Trobe,’ laughs Roy.

When Roy returned to Brisbane to continue his studies, he became a carer for one of his closest friends who had spinal muscular atrophy. And it was around this time that his interest in politics was sparked by one his high-school teachers.

‘I had a great economics teacher in high school, who is one of those really lovely, influential people in your life. She suggested to me that I get involved in politics because she could see I had an understanding of social justice and also economics,’ says Roy.

The teacher convinced him to join a political party, and as he became more involved, Roy says he realised that it was not as hard as people made out.

Coming from a non-political family, Roy’s rise from uni student to Member of Parliament ‘certainly wasn’t expected’. However his family and friends all rallied around him to help Roy fulfil his ambitions.

‘They were very supportive. All of my closest mates are not political at all. I think they’re proud of the fact that I’m where I am, but they think it’s hilarious as well,’ laughs Roy.

Becoming a politician hasn’t completely taken over the 22-year-old’s life though. He is still able to take time out from his taxing job and just be a normal person.

‘I get out on the boat with my mates as much as possible and sort of get away from the world, and turn the phone off and have a good time,’ says Roy. ‘There’s also nothing wrong with having a beer in a pub with your mates. I don’t think that will ever lose me votes, but if it does I’m willing to accept that.’

Roy recently added an unconventional accolade to his already impressive resume. He was announced as one of Cleo Magazine’s Bachelor of the Year nominees, something he finds highly amusing.

‘I actually thought my staff were joking when they told me, you know playing some sort of practical joke, but apparently not. Politicians should not make that list. It is not a profession that is sexy in any way!’

Nevertheless, Roy has caught the eyes of many and his future looks bright. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has gone as far as saying that Roy is ‘eminently capable of achieving the highest office of this land’.

But Roy remains humble. He would prefer to just be doing the best he can and ensuring he is earning the trust of those who have placed him in power. ‘Trust is a commodity in politics that can’t be sold and can’t be bought. You have to earn people’s trust by being honest with them,’ he says.

‘It’s where you can make a difference in people’s lives. I know it’s a horrible cliché, but it is true.’

Paddy Naughtin is a second-year journalism student at La Trobe University. You can follow him on Twitter: @PaddyNaughtin

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