Youth Voice in Parliament Week
13-16 November 2023
We made it.
Thanks to the incredible efforts of our 2023 Youth Voice in Parliament Campaign, and the MPs chose to amplify your voices.
Click bellow to watch the full video on ABC News
Scroll down to read more about the 2023 speeches, our tips on speech writing, and how you can get involved for 2024.
Politicians speak on the behalf of us. This time, they’re speaking our words.
We asked federal politicians if they would amplify the voices of young people from their electorates by reading their vision for the future in our Federal Parliament.
Your representatives want to hear from you in 2024
What change would make Australia a better place for future generations?
Youth Voice in Parliament week 13-16 November 2023 championed the voices of young Australians by giving them a voice in Parliament and online. Politicians across the country committed to reading a speech written by a young person aged 25 or under in their state, territory or electorate.
Your opportunity to raise the issues that matter most to you, in your words. This was the question:
What change would make Australia a better place for future generations?
Where do I start?
We know writing a speech can feel daunting - let alone trying to capture what is important to you, while keeping it to 90 seconds! Here are our top tips from the hundreds of speeches we’ve received through previous campaign:
Aim for 200 words. This will translate to about 90 seconds, which is allocated time.
Highlight one issue, talk about why it’s important and what you want the future to be.
Don’t focus on the politics of the issue, focus on the end goal of what you’d like to see.
Explain why the issue is important and why people should care.
Use simple language which most people would be able to understand.
Shorter sentences are best. If you can break a sentence into two, consider doing so.
How many MPs want to represent your voice?
Scroll down for our 2023 Federal MPs in each state and territory who read out your speeches:
Australian Capital Territory
Senators
Minister Katy Gallagher | Senator David Pocock
Federal MPs
Alicia Payne (Member for CANBERRA) | Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh (Member for FENNER)
New South Wales
Senators
Assistant Minister Jenny McAllister | Senator Ross Cadell | Senator Perin Davey | Senator Mehreen Faruqi | Senator Maria Kovacic | Senator Deborah O’Neill | Senator David Shoebridge
Federal MPs
Alison Byrnes (Member for CUNNINGHAM) | Minister Kevin Hogan (Member for PAGE) | Jerome Laxale (Member for BENNELONG) | Dai Le (Member for FOWLER) | Kristy McBain (Member for EDEN-MONARO) | Fiona Phillips (Member for GILMORE) | Sophie Scamps (Member for MACKELLAR) | Allegra Spender (Member for WENTWORTH) | Anne Stanley (Member for WERRIWA) | Kylea Tink (Member for NORTH SYDNEY)
Northern Territory
Luke Gosling (Member for SOLOMON)
Queensland
Senators
Senator Nita Green | Senator Susan McDonald | Senator Larissa Waters
Federal MPs
Stephen Bates (Member for BRISBANE) | Colin Boyce (Member for FLYNN) | Warren Entsch (Member for Leichhardt) | David Littleproud (Member for MARANOA) | Graham Perrett (Member for MORETON) | Bert van Manen (Member for Forde) | Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Member for RYAN) | Andrew Willcox (Member for DAWSON)
South Australia
Senators
Minister Don Farrell | Senator Karen Grogan | Senator Sarah Hanson-Young | Senator Marielle Smith
Federal MPs
Matt Burnell (Member for SPENCE) | Steve Georganas (Member for ADELAIDE) | Minister Amanda Rishworth (Member for KINGSTON)
Tasmania
Senators
Senator Tammy Tyrrell
Federal MPs
Bridget Archer (Member for BASS) | Andrew Wilkie (Member for CLARK)
Victoria
Senator Jane Hume | Senator Jana Stewart | Senator Lidia Thorpe | Senator Janet Rice | Senator Jess Walsh | Senator Linda White
Federal MPs
Adam Bandt (Member for MELBOURNE) | Sam Birrell (Member for NICHOLLS) | Josh Burns (Member for MACNAMARA) | Libby Coker (Member for CORANGAMITE) | Zoe Daniel (Member for GOLDSTEIN) | Cassandra Fernando (Member for HOLT) | Helen Haines (Member for Indi) | Peter Khalil (Member for WILLS) | Zoe McKenzie (Member for FLINDERS | Daniel Mulino (Member for FRASER) | Peta Murphy (Member for DUNKLEY) | Monique Ryan (Member for KOOYONG) | Aaron Violi (Member for CASEY)
Western Australia
Senators
Senator Dorinda Cox | Senator Sue Lines | Senator Fatima Payman | Senator Louise Pratt | Senator Jordon Steele-John | Senator Glenn Sterle
Federal MPs
Minister Anne Aly (Member for COWAN) | Kate Chaney (Member for CURTIN) | Minister Matt Keogh (Member for BURT) | Minister Madeline King (Member for BRAND) | Zaneta Mascarenhas (Member for SWAN) | Tracey Roberts (Member for PEARCE)
Previous impact
In 2021, we asked politicians to read 90-second speeches written by anyone under 21 who lives in their electorate, or their state. Successful applicants had their speeches delivered in Parliament House (and written into the Hansard record forever!), and all participants were invited to attend a number of free workshops to learn more about making change.
Thank you to our partners at YWCA Australia, Run For It, UNICEF Australia, Generation Politics, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Student Voices Network, Foundations for Tomorrow, GNX Leaders, and Global Goals Australia for their support. You can read more about our impact here.
We are so proud of all our young speech writers - check out their speeches on our YouTube channel below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can participate?
The campaign is open to all young people in Australia aged 25 or under - you do not need to be an Australian citizen to participate.
What are the campaign dates?
Speech submissions are open until 15 September. If your speech is selected by your MP, you’ll receive an email or phone call around 2 October. If not, your speech will be passed to the participating Senators. If your speech is selected by a Senator, you’ll hear from us around 9 October. Youth Voice in Parliament week is 16-20 October.
How do I know which electorate I’m in?
To participate in the campaign, it’s important that you select your federal electorate. If you’re unsure of your federal electorate, you can head to the Australian Electoral Commission website here and look it up using your suburb or postcode.
Why do I need to provide my mobile number?
We understand that email isn’t for everyone. If your speech is selected and we can’t contact you via email, we still need to tell you the good news! We might also get in touch to discuss media opportunities, if you’ve given consent for us to do so.
Why are some participating politicians reading speeches on their social media?
Participating Ministers and Assistant Ministers don’t get 90 second speaking slots in Parliament. If your local MP or Senator is a Minister, they will read your speech on social media instead.
How do I write a speech?
Great question! There are lots of ways to write a speech, and there’s no wrong way. But, we know this is tricky and we’re happy to help! You can access a speech template here.
Where can I find the campaign privacy statement?
You can find the privacy statement here.
Where can I find the speeches from last year?
All of the speeches that were given have been uploaded to our YouTube channel, and can be viewed here.
I thought the campaign was for people aged 21 and under?
Your memory is correct - in previous years the campaign has been for young people aged 21 and below. We’ve updated the campaign age to 25, as this is consistent with the way that most bodies in Australia understand youth.