The 2025 YMCA Victoria Youth Parliament sitting week kicks off on Monday 7 July with 120 diverse young change makers taking over Parliament House to advocate for change.
Youth Governor Lily Trethowan will declare Parliament open, launching a series of debates from members as young as 16. These future leaders, representing communities spanning from South Gippsland to Mildura will share their lived experience on Bills that they developed themselves and want to see actioned.
The impact is real. Over nearly four decades, around 60 pieces of today’s state legislation once started at Youth Parliament.
The latest example is the Victorian Government announcement that public transport will be free for all under-18s from January 2026. This move debated as recently as last year by the Boroondara Youth Hub has now become reality.
“This is exactly why Youth Parliament exists,” Y Program Director Kaitlin Woolford explained. “Young people raised the issue, proposed a solution, and now they’re seeing government deliver. That’s democracy in action.”
This year 20 new Bills on major topics will be heard, including:
- Free period products in public spaces
- Lowering the driving age to 17
- Greater access to legal aid for young people
- Improved mental health support in schools
- Increased job pathways for newly arrived migrants
- Introduce family violence education in secondary schools
- Making financial literacy a compulsory part of curriculum
- Compulsory water safety education in schools
First item of business will be the National Matter of Public Importance – a coordinated Youth Parliament debate across Australia on Women’s Health. From education on healthcare, access to free period produces to more funding for diagnosis and treatment will be explored.
By Thursday 10 July, all passed Bills will be presented to the Victorian Government at the closing ceremony, to be attended Victorian Treasurer, The Hon. Jaclyn Symes MP, and Leader of the Opposition, Mr Brad Battin MP.
Now in its 39th year, Victoria Youth Parliament continues to enjoy bipartisan support. Current members of parliament, including former Youth Parliamentarians such as Member for Mornington Chris Crewther MP relish chairing debates.
At a time when national ACARA data reveals an alarming decline in civic knowledge among secondary school students, last year’s Youth Parliament saw over 94% of participants improve their advocacy skills, and 86% report a stronger understanding of the Victorian political system.
The Y Victoria Youth Parliament is powered by volunteers and and supported from the Victorian Government and the Victorian Electoral Commission
Media are warmly invited to attend debates, speak with participants, and hear firsthand the powerful stories behind each Bill. Coverage will also be available through the Youth Press Gallery, reporting live throughout the week.
Acknowledgement of Country
The Y’s Victorian Youth Parliament recognises and pays respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who live within and across the borders of colonial Victoria. We acknowledge that Youth Parliament is run on sites across Wathaurong and Wurundjeri lands, and hosts teams who come from and are based on traditional lands across Victoria, and pay our respects to the Elders and people of those lands. We also acknowledge the pain and trauma experienced by ongoing colonial practices and that truth-telling and healing is a continuing process with many stories still left unheard.