Bianca Talbot, the Liberal candidate for Kwinana, has been interested in international politics since she was about 18, and became involved in the local side of things two years ago when she signed up to the Liberal Party. Her interests are reflected in her areas of study, as she finishes up a Bachelor of Law with a minor in Politics and International Relations at Murdoch.

While juggling an election campaign and her mouthful of a degree may seem hard enough already, Bianca has also had to keep up her work as a personal trainer and plan her wedding, but she says it’s been relatively simple. “I guess balancing multiple tasks at once is something I am well adapted to doing. My husband is also extremely supportive and he helps me stay calm and grounded when life gets busy.”

Bianca believes being both a young candidate and a uni student allows her to empathise with other young people, particularly when it comes to the difficulties involved in finding stable work. She also sees her roles as a means of motivating others. “[D]emonstrating that young women can balance work, study and enter the public sphere is something that can assist with encouraging members of my community so that they may strive to push themselves outside of their own comfort zones.”