The Department of Education’s Office for Youth reports on actions and impacts against 3 key priorities and 9 measures outlined in their youth engagement strategy, Engage!.
Engage! A strategy to include young people in the decisions we make is the Australian Government’s vision to work effectively with young people on decisions and policies that impact them, delivered through the Office for Youth.
The Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth, Senator the Hon Dr Jess Walsh, shared
Through Engage!, the Australian Government is providing opportunities for young people to be empowered, valued and contribute to government decision-making.”
The report is an annual commitment that tracks progress on key strategy deliverables.
Some of the highlights detailed in the report include:
- outcomes from the 2025 National Youth Forum
- a snapshot of Office for Youth member’s achievements
- a recap of Youth Meets Parliament Week, and
- progress updates from last year’s report and what these results mean for young people and government.
Minister Walsh shared examples of some of these outcomes, stating:
We have empowered young people to advocate and engage with government resulting in the development of a Youth Water Security Statement, the inclusion of youth perspectives in the drafting and implementation planning of the National Model of Care, and empowering First Nations young people youth to influence the Youth and Emerging Leadership Program at the 2025 Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Summit.”
The Office for Youth will continue to drive tangible outcomes that amplify young people’s perspectives within national conversations. They aim to achieve this by keeping programs adaptable and actively seeking feedback through in-person and online engagement opportunities, like the National Youth Survey.
When young people are included in conversations, decision-making and co-design, better policies and programs are made.
As a Youth Steering Committee member reflected,
My favourite [part] about being [in] the Youth Steering Committee has probably been having the opportunity to meet other young people with views that align with mine and having a sense of meaning, like I’m actually doing something important that can help young people in Australia.”
Read the full report on the Office for Youth’s website.
Earlier this year, the Office for Youth also published the 2025 National Youth Survey Summary Report to capture feedback provided by over 2,333 young people around the country.