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

Hera Sheppard, an 18-year-old high school student, has been endorsed as a candidate for the Victorian Socialists in the upcoming state election. If elected, she would become one of the youngest MPs ever elected in Australia. Hera, a year 11 student at Warrnambool College, is balancing her demanding academic schedule and a part-time job at McDonald's while running for parliament.

She admits that her campaign schedule will be packed, with little time left for anything else. Hera's primary focus is on issues affecting the next generation, such as housing, workers' rights, and public transport. She specifically advocates for a six-carriage train for Warrnambool's V/Line service to improve travel times. Hera's passion for public housing stems from her own experiences growing up in public housing.

If successful, she would be the youngest-ever MP to take her seat in Australian parliament, surpassing the record set by Queensland MP Wyatt Roy at 20 and South Australian senator Charlotte Walker at 21. In Victoria, former premier Jacinta Allan holds the record for the youngest female MP, elected at 25 in 1999.