Ben Peterson for the Senate

Ben Peterson (21) is the lead Socialist Alliance candidate for the Senate in WA. He is studying for a Batchelor of the Arts at Murdoch University majoring in politics and international studies.

Ben got involved in activism as a year 11 student when he joined a high school strike against the then Howard government's WorkChoices legislation. He joined the socialist youth organisation Resistance - which organised the strike - and then the Socialist Alliance.

Since then, he has been involved in a range of campaigns including opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and around environmental issues. He was among the organisers of the Camp for Climate Action ("climate camp") in Collie at the end of 2009.

He has played played an active role in civil liberties campaigns including Stop the Filter (against the federal government's internet censorship plans) and Search for Your Rights (against the state governments plans for "stop and search" legislation.

In 2009, he spent six months abroad, largely in Nepal, where he reported for Green Left Weekly on the revolutionary movement for full civilian democracy against the vestiges of the feudal monarchy.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to run as a senate candidate for Socialist Alliance because I think it is the new generation that will be the one to bring change on the issues like global warming where real change is needed. The Labor and Liberal parties have both consistently let down the Australian people by their craven support for corporate Australia. The Socialist Alliance stands for 'people before profit' and that's the kind of change I'd like to see in Australian politics."