The state’s first dedicated NSW Office for Youth will be launched today, as the NSW Government’s 2024 Youth Summit Report found 76% of young people currently feel unheard in Government decision-making.
The agency will be officially launched this evening at an event in NSW Parliament, alongside the young people who helped build it – including advocates, content creators, and MPs.
The Government said young people made their expectations clear through 12 months of consultation and at the 2024 NSW Youth Summit: consultation without follow-through is no longer acceptable.
“The decisions we make as a government today, will affect generations to come so it is absolutely imperative that they are a part of the conversation. That’s what this is about,” said Minister for Youth, Rose Jackson.
“Young people have been ignored for way too long. Former NSW Liberal/National Government’s have cut the youth portfolio entirely- we’re putting it back, front and centre where it belongs.
“This new Office isn’t just a nameplate on a door- it’s a proper, central place where young people are heard, respected, and actually help steer the ship.
“We’re not here to tick boxes or run another round of pointless consultation. This is about real change. Young people told us what they want and we’re getting on with it.”
The Government says the Office for Youth will:
- Engage young people on their terms – in urban and regional areas, online, and through community-based initiatives;
- Embed youth perspectives across government policies and programs from the outset, not as an afterthought;
- Cut through red tape and duplication that currently exists.
“The Office for Youth brings together expertise from across government to continue to engage with and ensure young people’s voices are not just heard but will inform policy and decisions that will impact them today and, in the future,” said Advocate for Children and Young People, Zoë Robinson.
Also released today, key findings of the 2024 Youth Summit Report show:
- 76% of young people say government doesn’t listen;
- Cost-of-living is the top issue, followed by mental health and vaping;
- 1-in-10 have experienced homelessness;
- 85% voted in 2023 but still feel shut out.
