Release type: Media Release

Date:

Call for young Australians to join new Youth Advisory Groups and have a say on issues important to them

Ministers:

The Hon Dr Anne Aly MP
Minister for Early Childhood Education
Minister for Youth

Applications are open for Australians aged 16 to 24 to join one of five new Youth Advisory Groups to advise on Australian Government policies and programs across key issues facing young people. 

Minister for Youth, Dr Anne Aly said the advisory groups will deliver on the Albanese Government’s promise to better engage with young Australians.

“Young people have valuable insights and perspectives, and it is important we listen to them on policies and programs that matter to them.” Dr Aly said.

“We are committed to embedding engagement structures for young people to ensure they are afforded the opportunity to be heard, respected and can make meaningful contributions to the work of government.”

Each of the five advisory groups will examine an issue of importance to young Australians. Focus topics and group membership will change each year.

In 2023, the topics are:

  • mental health and wellbeing
  • promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
  • climate change
  • ensuring young Australians are safe and supported.

A dedicated First Nations Youth Advisory Group will also be set up to work with the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

“I want the youth advisory groups to represent a microcosm of our nation – to reflect the rich diversity and thinking of our young people,” Dr Aly said.

“I encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and experiences, including young people with disability, with lived experience of mental ill-health, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.”

The advisory groups will seek to represent young people from diverse backgrounds, and ensure all states, territories, and regional, rural, and remote Australia are represented.

The groups will work independently of the recently establish Youth Steering Committee. Their work, however, will complement each other in bringing the insights of young people to the Government.

Young people can apply through the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition website (https://www.ayac.org.au/). Applications close on 12 February 2023.

Successful candidates will need to be available to travel to Canberra on 28-31 March 2023 for the first meeting of the Youth Advisory Groups. The Office for Youth will cover the cost of this travel.