
Australia is a liberal democratic country located on the continent of Australasia. As a former British colony, Australia is a prominent member of the Commonwealth of Nations and a responsible member of several intergovernmental organisations. With a total population of over 25 million people, the country has a vibrant youth population that significantly contributes to its socio-political and economic stability. The official definition of youth in Australia is people within the ages of 15 – 24 years old, and they constitute 12% of the country’s total population, while also making up 14% of the country’s workforce1 2. With voting compulsory for all adults in Australia, young people above 18 years old are mandated to enrol and participate in elections. Beyond investing in quality education and skills for young people, Australia is effectively integrating them into its public affairs, specifically in the areas of politics, elections, and civic engagement.
Understanding youth-focused policies and initiatives
Australia’s Youth Policy Framework: The first National Youth Policy was published in 2010 as the official national policy framework on youth-related issues, outlining the key strategies of the Australian government for youth development in the country3. The recent national youth policy framework, published in 2021, was largely in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth development and well-being in the country. The 2021 Youth Policy Framework eloquently articulates five strategic objectives that the Australian government is looking to advance. Specifically, objectives 2, 3, and 4 stress the priorities of the government on youth development and fostering increased participation in public affairs; including “capturing the voice of young people on policies that affect them; listening and responding to young people on the issues that matter to them; outlining the services and programmes available to support young people”4. These objectives not only stress the government’s commitment to youth development but also reiterate its pledge to consult and integrate the voices of young people on policies that affect their well-being. Additionally, the policy framework stresses the government’s commitment to address the impact of COVID-19 on young people, focusing on education, job creation, capacity building, and increased civic engagement. Despite the government’s financial and non-financial commitments to implementing its youth policy, there are concerns about poor youth integration into politics, especially those above 16 years old5. The policy framework also outlines the implementation strategies, such as cross-sectoral partnerships across government agencies, intergovernmental organisations, and private enterprises.
Youth representation in political parties: Political parties are major players in implementing the Australian government’s policies and programmes to integrate young people into politics, elections, and civic engagement. As a multi-party democratic country, various political parties in Australia have a youth wing that allows young people to meaningfully participate in their internal processes. The Australian Greens Party’s youth wing is called “Australian Young Greens”, the Australian Labor Party’s youth wing is called “Australian Young Labor”, and the Australian Liberal Party’s youth wing is called “Young Liberals”, among others6. These youth wings advance the voices of young people in the operations of political parties, including candidate nominations, setting party agendas, and advocating for youth priorities. It is important to stress that these youth wings largely advance the ideological leanings of their political parties. For instance, the Young Greens are concerned about advancing the Greens’ four pillars: ecological sustainability, social justice, grassroots democracy, and peace and non-violence7. Participating in political parties also gives young people opportunities to understand the country’s political processes, while also giving them the opportunity to run for elective positions. However, Bethany, from Make it 16 in Australia, argued that youth-oriented policies are yet to be advanced in many political parties8.
Youth Advisory Groups: The Youth Advisory Groups (YAG) are an initiative of the Australian government to meaningfully integrate young people into the country’s policy processes, especially on issues that directly affect the youth and their future. As outlined in objective 2 of the Australian Youth Policy Framework, the YAGs provide a platform for young people to contribute to and influence policy processes. Under the guidance of the Office for Youth in the Department of Education, young people between 16–25 years old are selected to work in the Youth Advisory Groups with the primary purpose of advancing the voices of young people on key socio-political and economic issues. There are five youth advisory groups that work with the government, and they focus on five core thematic areas: First Nations, mental health and suicide prevention, promotion of STEM, climate change and COP28, and safe and supported (which focuses on supporting young people)9. The selection of members of youth advisory groups is organised by the Office for Youth through an open call for application process, which is made through the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) webpage. YAG members are compensated to recognise their contribution to the country’s public affairs10. In general, the YAGs allow the Australian youth to influence the country’s governance processes and policies.
Youth Steering Committee: Launched in 2022, the Youth Steering Committee is an initiative of Australia’s Office for Youth, where selected young people between 13–24 years old work with the Minister for Youth to “co-design the new youth engagement model” and support “national consultations with young people”11. The steering committee performs advisory roles to the government, advising the Minister for Youth on government policies and programmes and their impacts on Australian youth. The current steering committee consists of 15 young people selected from every state and territory in Australia, and it considers the country’s diverse populations, including LGBTQI+ and indigenous communities. While it is too early to adequately evaluate the committee’s impacts, it is worth noting that setting up this committee signifies the government’s efforts in meaningfully integrating young people into the country’s policy processes.
Policy implementation
Periodic Engagement with MPs and Government Officials: In early 2023, the Australian Office for Youth announced a nationwide consultation with young people between 12–25 years old, which is largely to drive the government engagement strategy12. This is among several strategies adopted by the Australian government to advance youth participation in public affairs in the country, in line with the Youth Policy Framework. Members of Parliament (MPs) at both national and state levels periodically engage young people to understand their concerns and viewpoints on several socio-political issues in the country. Through the Youth Parliament programme organised by The Y in partnership with local governments, young people are able to simulate parliamentary debates and propose bills that are subsequently shared with MPs13. This is a common practice in several states in Australia, including Canberra and Queensland. This process allows young people to better understand the political system and channel their concerns to their representatives. However, Ms. Rachel Wesley, a program officer at Make It 16, argues that this engagement is still largely tokenistic, as they focus on young people in top schools or city centres, while youth in rural areas usually do not access some of these opportunities14.
Compulsory voting: The Australian Commonwealth Electoral Act mandates that all eligible voters in Australia vote, an implementation strategy to meaningfully integrate young people into the national political processes. Voting is compulsory for any individual above 18 years old in the country. With the compulsory voting policy, participating is a duty and not a right – highlighting the importance of voting15. The electoral act makes provision for an adequate penalty for anyone who refuses to vote. This explains why Australia has the highest number of young voters in the world, with an enrolment rate of 89.5% as of March 2023, despite setting a target of 87%16. In 2019, the country recorded an all-time high voting enrolment rate of 96.8%, signalling an increasing participation of young people in Australian politics and public affairs17. Increasing the involvement of young people in voting exercises made it possible for youth to ask questions from political leaders, seek transparency and accountability, and advance social issues, such as environmental protection and human rights promotion.
Strategic Partnerships for Youth Inclusion in Public Affairs: Meaningful partnership is at the heart of improving the participation of young people in public affairs, and this is eloquently outlined in Australia’s Youth Policy framework18. As the major agency focusing on youth issues, the Office for Youth partners with other government ministries and agencies on topical issues that affect young people, with the aim of building their capacity, addressing their concerns, and advancing their rights. Additionally, the government partners with youth-led organisations – such as the recent partnership with the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC), to advance the voice of young people in the country. Another notable partnership is the collaboration between The Y19 and the Australian local and state governments to organise an annual Youth Parliament programme – a simulation programme that allows approximately 400 young people to re-enact parliamentary proceedings, including formulating, debating, and voting on bills20. This programme educates young people (within the ages of 16–25 years old) on parliamentary processes, while also deepening their understanding of several socio-political issues. The government partners with tertiary institutions, UN agencies, and INGOs to advance youth-focused programmes. These programmes include the Model UN and the UN Youth Australia, however, some programmes have been criticised for poor inclusiveness, especially for young people in rural areas or those that did not attend top schools21. Despite that, these joint programmes and partnerships expose young people to socio-political issues while also building their capacity to contribute to Australia’s development agenda.
Financial Investment in Youth Development: Another significant approach taken by the Australian government in advancing youth participation in public affairs is investing in key youth-focused initiatives in the country. The Australian government at both the federal and state levels invest adequate funds to advance youth development. The government spent over AUD$1.1million for the Youth Action Project Grant Scheme, which was largely to support community-based projects that will improve the well-being of young people22. This was also in addition to AUD$900,000 for the Youth Advocacy Support Grants Scheme, awarded across eight youth-led organisations in the country, for advancing youth voices and encouraging greater youth participation in public affairs23. As highlighted in the Youth Development Framework, these financial initiatives further help young people to effectively engage in public affairs and key socio-political issues, such as climate change and promoting the rights of minority groups.
Key Successes
Increasing Youth Participation in Public Affairs: With the compulsory voting initiative, the Australian government can effectively integrate young people (above 18 years old) into the country’s electoral system, mandating them to enrol and vote in national and local elections. This is perhaps one of the most notable successes of Australia’s youth-focused programmes and initiatives, evident in the 96.8% enrolment rate of young people to vote in 2019 and the 90.3% youth enrolment rate as of the end of June 202324. Beyond voting, youth engagement in political parties is increasingly providing them with a platform to advance their political ideologies, while also giving them the opportunity to run for political offices. This is evidenced by the number of young people elected as MPs in the country as of 2020, including 10 senators and 13 MPs who were born between 1981 and 199625. However, it is imperative to know that young people are still grossly underrepresented in Australian politics, especially as political office holders. The Youth Advisory Groups, Youth Steering Committee, and Support Grants are increasingly giving young people the opportunity to contribute to national discourse and integrate their voices into government policies, with up to eight youth-led organisations benefiting from the government’s AUD$900,000 Youth Advocacy Grant Scheme26.
Increasing Youth-led Initiatives: Like other countries, young people in Australia are taking up initiatives to influence the government’s policies on several socio-political and economic issues. Make It 16 is a youth-led, nonpartisan campaign advocating for the reduction of the official voting age to 1627. There are also youth-led organisations dedicated to other issues, such as climate change, LGBTQI+ rights, protection of the rights of indigenous people, promotion of mental health, youth skills and employability, among others. These youth-led organisations are growing in numbers and are making a significant impact on the country.
This case country is taken from a comprehensive examination of successful youth-led policy initiatives drawing from the insights of a scoping study “A comparative analysis on National Youth Policies”.
This study is supported by a European Union-funded project called WYDE Civic Engagement led by EPD that aims to improve the inclusion of Youth in all levels of democratic participation at the national, regional and global scales. The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and should not be considered as representative of the European Commission’s official position
- Youth Action, “Youth Employment Report (2022),” Youth Action, 2022, https://youthaction.org.au/youth-employment-report-2022/#:~:text=The%20new%20Bearing%20the%20Brunt,losses%20during%20the%20pandemic%20lockdowns.
↩︎ - Australia Institute for Health and Welfare, “Australia’s youth,” June 25, 2021, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-youth/contents/demographics. ↩︎
- Australian Government, National Strategy for Young Australians (Australian Government, 2010), https://www.youthpolicy.org/national/Australia_2010_National_Youth_Strategy.pdf.
↩︎ - Australian Government, Australia’s Youth Policy Framework (Australian Government, 2021), https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-08/apo-nid314287.pdf.
↩︎ - Interview with Ms. Rachel Wesley, a Program Officer with Make It 16
↩︎ - Australian Electoral Commission, “Register of Political Parties,” AEC, https://www.aec.gov.au/parties_and_representatives/party_registration/Registered_parties/.
↩︎ - The Greens, “The Four Pillars,” The Greens, https://greens.org.au/about/four-pillars.
↩︎ - Interview Bethany Ware from Make it 16, Australia ↩︎
- Office for Youth, “Youth Advisory Groups,” Australian Government, https://www.youth.gov.au/youth-advisory-groups#:~:text=The%20Office%20for%20Youth%20runs,a%20specific%20area%20of%20focus. ↩︎
- Australian Youth Affairs Coalition, “Australian Government Youth Advisory Groups,” AYAC, https://www.ayac.org.au/advisory-groups#:~:text=Will%20the%20advisory%20group%20members,meeting%20of%20each%20advisory%20group.
↩︎ - Office for Youth, “Youth Steering Committee,” Australian Government, https://www.youth.gov.au/youth-advisory-groups#:~:text=The%20Office%20for%20Youth%20runs,a%20specific%20area%20of%20focus. ↩︎
- Ministers of the Education Portfolio, “A fresh approach to engaging young people,” Ministers’ Media Center, June 7, 2023, https://ministers.education.gov.au/aly/fresh-approach-engaging-young-people. ↩︎
- The Y, “The Parliament,” https://ymca.org.au/what-we-do/empowering-young-people/youth-parliament/.
↩︎ - Interview with Ms. Rachel Wesley ↩︎
- Federal Register of Legislation, “Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918,” Federal Register of Legislation, March 27, 2023, https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2023C00067. ↩︎
- Australian Electoral Commission, “National Youth Enrolment Rate,” AEC, July 24, 2023, https://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/Enrolment_stats/performance/national-youth.htm.
↩︎ - Naaman Zhou, “High number of young voters create record enrolment rate of 96.8% for election,” The Guardian, April 23, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/apr/23/high-number-of-young-voters-create-record-enrolment-rate-of-968-for-election.
↩︎ - Australian Government, “Australia’s Youth Policy Framework,” 2021, https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-08/apo-nid314287.pdf.
↩︎ - The Y is a global youth movement that supports youth engagement in the policy process. Read more at: https://ymca.org.au/about-us/7477-2/
↩︎ - The Y, “The Parliament,” https://ymca.org.au/what-we-do/empowering-young-people/youth-parliament/. ↩︎
- Interview with Bethany Ware
↩︎ - Australian Government, “Australia’s Youth Policy Framework,” 2021, https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-08/apo-nid314287.pdf.
↩︎ - Department for Health and Age Care, “Grants to strengthen youth advocacy across Australia,” Australian Government, December 14, 2020, https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/senator-the-hon-richard-colbeck/media/grants-to-strengthen-youth-advocacy-across-australia#:~:text=“The%20Youth%20Advocacy%20Support%20Grant,that%20affect%20or%20concern%20them. ↩︎
- Australian Electoral Commission, “National Youth Enrolment Rate,” AEC, July 24, 2023, https://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/Enrolment_stats/performance/national-youth.htm.
↩︎ - Bretton Mason, “As Australia’s parliament returns, meet the youngest MPs doing things differently,” SBS News, January 27, 2020, https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/as-australias-parliament-returns-meet-the-youngest-mps-doing-things-differently/u5etr8hai. ↩︎
- Department for Health and Age Care, “Grants to strengthen youth advocacy across Australia,” Australian Government, December 14, 2020, https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/senator-the-hon-richard-colbeck/media/grants-to-strengthen-youth-advocacy-across-australia#:~:text=“The%20Youth%20Advocacy%20Support%20Grant,that%20affect%20or%20concern%20them.
↩︎ - Make It 16, “Led by young people,” https://www.makeit16.au/aboutthecampaign. ↩︎