It's happened a few times already - someone will reach out to greet Michael Pettersson the politician, only to offer their hand to an older man in the circle, not the fresh-faced kid with the floppy hair in front of them.
In many ways the new Labor Member for Yerrabi is your average 25-year-old guy.
![Lew Member for Yerrabi Michael Pettersson, 25, joined the Labor party when he was a teenager and reckons more young ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20180418122736im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/f/n/s/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtegne.png/1482818859377.jpg)
He is terrible at cooking, his house is messier than it should be and he likes playing video games.
But he is also one of the youngest ever politicians to enter the Legislative Assembly, a fact that caused a lot of pushback, even from within his own party when he put his hand up for preselection.
![Michael Pettersson plays chess with former economics advisor to Arthur Sinodinos John Adams in 2015.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180418122736im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/y/6/a/g/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtegne.png/1482818859377.jpg)
"[People would say to me] what would you know know, you've got no life experience. Which is a frustrating argument to hear because I think one's ability for empathy and work ethic is far more telling of one's ability to be a politician than how many mortgage payments someone's made," Pettersson said.
Pettersson was drawn into politics young. He joined the Labor Party as a teenager and has been a member for eight years.
"That that's the first thing you should write, more teenagers should join the Labor Party," he said.
Pettersson studied maths and politics at university but took a break in his degree to work with the National Students Union.
![Michael Pettersson was drawn into politics as a teenager.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180418122736im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/x/6/o/s/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtegne.png/1482818859377.jpg)
That led to a role with the CFMEU two years ago, where he worked as an industrial officer to resolve pay disputes.
Getting pre-selected was an "uphill battle", he said.
![Michael Pettersson is also one of the youngest ever politicians to enter the Legislative Assembly.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180418122736im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/f/n/s/b/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtegne.png/1521017229791.jpg)
"Simultaneously I would have individuals tell me that I'm too young to run, you won't be able to contribute, you"ll lose.
"Then those same individuals would be at work the next day combatting Alistair Coe [aged 32] who was doing a very good job of attacking them. I found the double-think there always quite funny to watch."
I think one's ability for empathy and work ethic is far more telling of one's ability to be a politician than how many mortgage payments someone's made.
Michael Pettersson
Once on the ticket, Pettersson solicited votes via an unusual method.
Pettersson used the dating app Tinder to connect with young voters during the election campaign.
![Screenshot of Michael Pettersson's Tinder profile, a candidate at the ACT election using the dating app to appeal to ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20180418122736im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/x/7/f/w/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtegne.png/1482818859377.jpg)
"It was somewhat successful talking to people, like 300 people swiped right," he said.
"Even now people say 'it's the Tinder guy'. It's not a good nickname to have. I brought it on myself though."
Pettersson polled third in Yerrabi, which was probably more reflective of the electorate's views on light rail than the efficacy of his Tinder profile.
However he and another new Labor member Suzanne Orr managed to nab a seat in the assembly, whereas sitting Labor member Jayson Hinder missed out.
"For all the talk about me being a young candidate and I would be a liability on the ticket, I actually got the highest Labor vote for a non-incumbent in the days since we've gone to a non-ticketed system," he said.
In his inaugural speech. Pettersson promised to take aim at many problems that plague younger generations - jobs, wage growth and housing affordability.
He believes if more young people were involved in politics, they would get a better outcome on the issues they care about.
"One of the biggest criticisms of young people is that they don't care about politics. And I think that's absolute bullocks," he said.
"I think younger people know more now than any generation before them. They know more and they have opinions on it. They just don't think they've got a good outlet for those opinions."