Youth Voice in Parliament Week
Speech submissions are now closed.
Stay tuned for Youth Voice in Parliament week from 7-10 October 2024
Politicians speak on the behalf of us. Now, 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 do you want them to know?
What do you want your community to look like in the next 10 years, and what can the next parliament do to achieve it?
From 7-10 October, your representatives have signed up to amplify your voice and your ideas in Parliament and online during Youth Voice in Parliament week. That’s right - politicians across the country have committed to read a speech written by a young person aged 25 or under in their state, territory or electorate.
This is your opportunity to raise the issues that matter most to you, in your words. So, we want to hear from you…
“What do you want your community to look like in the next 10 years, and what can the next parliament do to achieve it?”
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, and sound more impactful when read out loud. If you can break a sentence into two, go for it.
Which politicians will amplify your voice?
Australian Capital Territory
Senators
Minister Katy Gallagher | Senator David Pocock
Federal MPs
Alicia Payne (Member for CANBERRA) | David Smith (Member for BEAN) | Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh (Member for FENNER)
New South Wales
Senators
Senator Andrew Bragg | Senator Ross Cadell | Senator Perin Davey | Senator Mehreen Faruqi | Senator Jenny McAllister | Senator Dave Sharma | Senator Tony Sheldon
Federal MPs
Alison Byrnes (Member for CUNNINGHAM) | Minister Jason Clare (Member for BLAXLAND) | Paul Fletcher (Member for BRADFIELD) | Jerome Laxale (Member for BENNELONG) | Dai Le (Member for FOWLER) | Kristy McBain (Member for EDEN-MONARO) | Fiona Phillips (Member for GILMORE) | Jenny Ware (Member for HUGHES) | Dan Repacholi (Member for HUNTER) | Sophie Scamps (Member for MACKELLAR) | Susan Templeman (Member for MACQUARIE) | Minister Chris Bowen (Member for MCMAHON) | Sharon Claydon (Member for NEWCASTLE) | Kylea Tink (Member for NORTH SYDNEY) | Zali Steggall (Member for WARRINGAH) | Allegra Spender (Member for WENTWORTH) | Anne Stanley (Member for WERRIWA) | Minister Stephen Jones (Member for WHITLAM)
Northern Territory
Luke Gosling (Member for SOLOMON)
Queensland
Senators
Senator Penny Allman-Payne | Senator Nita Green | Senator Malcolm Roberts | Senator Larissa Waters
Federal MPs
Ross Vasta (Member for BONNER) | Shayne Neumann (Member for BLAIR) | Michelle Landry (Member for CAPRICORNIA) | Max Chandler-Mather (Member for GRIFFITH) | Cameron Caldwell (Member for FADDEN) | Andrew Wallace (Member for FISHER) | Colin Boyce (Member for FLYNN) | Warren Entsch (Member for Leichhardt) | Minister Annika Wells (Member for WILLS) | Terry Young (Member for LONGMAN) | Karen Andrews (Member for MCPHERSON) | Angie Bell (Member for MONCREIFF) | Graham Perrett (Member for MORETON) | Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Member for RYAN)
South Australia
Senators
Minister Don Farrell | Senator Karen Grogan | Senator Sarah Hanson-Young | Senator Barbara Pocock | Senator Anne Ruston
Federal MPs
Louise Miller Frost (Member for BOOTHBY) | Rebekah Sharkie (Member for MAYO)
Tasmania
Senators
Senator Carol Brown | Senator Nick McKim
Federal MPs
Bridget Archer (Member for BASS) | Andrew Wilkie (Member for CLARK) | Brian Mitchell (Member for LYON)
Victoria
Senator Lisa Darmanin | Senator Steph Hodgkins-May | Senator Jana Stewart | Senator Lidia Thorpe
Federal MPs
Michelle Adnanda-Rajah (Member for HIGGINS) | Adam Bandt (Member for MELBOURNE) | Jodie Belyea (Member for DUNKLEY) | 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) | Assistant Minister Ged Kearney (Member for COOPER) | Peter Khalil (Member for WILLS) | Zoe McKenzie (Member for FLINDERS | Daniel Mulino (Member for FRASER) | Kate Thwaites (Member for Jagajaga) | Monique Ryan (Member for KOOYONG) | Aaron Violi (Member for CASEY) | Assistant Minister Tim Watts (Member for GELLIBRAND) | Anne Webster (Member for Mallee)
Western Australia
Senators
Senator Dorinda Cox | Senator Sue Lines | Senator Fatima Payman | Senator Louise Pratt | Senator Dean Smith | Senator Jordon Steele-John
Federal MPs
Kate Chaney (Member for CURTIN) | Melissa Price (Member for DURACK) | Tania Lawrence (Member for HASLUCK) | Sam Lim (Member for TANGNEY) | Zaneta Mascarenhas (Member for SWAN) |
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 all our past partners at YWCA Australia, Run For It, UNICEF Australia, Generation Politics, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, WhyNot, 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 submit a speech.
What are the campaign dates?
Speech submissions were open until 12 August. The campaign is now closed for 2024.
How will I know if my speech is chosen?
If your speech is selected by your MP, you’ll receive an email or phone call around 9 September. If your speech is not selectednot, your speech will be passed to the participating Senators. If your speech is selected by a Senator, you’ll hear from us around 25 September. Youth Voice in Parliament week is 7-10 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?
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.