The YMCA NSW Youth Parliament is an apolitical program for young people aged 15-18. It promotes youth-led advocacy, community leadership and parliamentary education. Over a period of six months, participants work in committees to produce a Bill or Report, which is then debated at Parliament House during Youth Parliament sitting week – a realistic simulation of NSW Parliament.
This year, the sitting week from July 7-11 saw 12 bills and eight reports debated in the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.
Representing the electorate of Heffron in the Legislative Assembly were Nam Kiet Nguyen and Allison Taylor. Ms Taylor was a member of the Environment and Heritage Committee, whose Bill focused on sustainable development. “Our Bill requires all new residential, commercial and public developments to include the necessary infrastructure to ensure at least 30 per cent of their projected energy usage comes from renewable energy sources,” she explained. The Bill was endorsed strongly by both the Lower and Upper House. Ms Taylor is proud to have been involved. “Learning about Parliament and having the opportunity to put it into practice was incredible to see and experience.”
Mr Nguyen’s committee drafted one of the more controversial Bills of Youth Parliament 2014, introducing registration for cyclists. The program was a real eye-opener, he says: “Youth Parliament has opened me up to numerous issues around NSW that I have not been aware of.”
Youth MP for Sydney, Isabella Dimattina, 16, agrees. “YP was really enlightening – it changed the way I think about my state, city and electorate.” Ms Dimattina was elected Shadow Health Minister, and along with the Health Committee, produced a Bill for extra preventative sexual health services in rural and regional areas, as well as an awareness campaign to combat the high rate of STIs among young people in country NSW.
In the Legislative Council, Kings Cross local Jarah Crook participated in the program for the third consecutive year, as Shadow Minister for Mental Health. “Being involved in the program has changed me for the better,” Mr Crook said. “I’ve been able to meet people from far-flung areas of NSW, with different ideas on how to address the issues that affect the state and the nation, and we’ve been able to work together.” His report implemented better reporting guidelines for the media in covering stories about mental health issues. “Currently, there’s no appropriate representation in the media to offer professional advice and information about mental health, which is problematic seeing how sensitive the topic is.”
All the Bills and Reports debated at the 2014 YMCA NSW Youth Parliament were presented to NSW MPs at the conclusion of the sitting week. Since the program began 13 years ago, more than half a dozen pieces of Youth Parliament legislation have been passed into NSW law.
