Moncrieff Electorate: Young Australians

Our young people represent the future, and they deserve our attention, our guidance and, of course, our support. It’s a great privilege to be going into my second term as the shadow minister for youth, and I want to highlight that the new Opposition Leader, Sussan Ley, opted to elevate youth into the shadow cabinet so that young people have a louder voice when it comes to Coalition policy. We have a commitment to deliver real and meaningful opportunities for young Australians, as we did under the Safer Communities Initiative when we were in government. That’s why I’m continuing my commitment to the young people in my community on the Gold Coast with the Gold Coast Youth Impact Summit.

I have now delivered three of these events that extend opportunities for my community on the Gold Coast, like young Cannon, who is a Miami high-school student and also an award-winning Miami surf lifesaving club member. Cannon has been supported by our community through some difficulties, and he is now well on the path to development and to success as a young man in my community. Peyton, a young woman who pays the saxophone—something we have in common—has had some new opportunities through the Gold Coast Youth Impact Summit. My neighbour Tilly is in a wheelchair and she suffers from cerebral palsy. Tilly has had some magnificent opportunities through the Gold Coast Youth Impact Summit, and I’m hoping Tilly will be a guest speaker in the coming years. The event is a unique two-day TEDx-style event that my community supports. I thank the Sea World Foundation for their sponsorship of 230 young people for each of the three years that the impact summit has been delivered. I thank them for any support that they put on the table in the future to change the lives of young Gold Coasters, because it is meaningful and it is life-changing and it’s an event that brings together young people from all cultures.

I thank Volunteering Gold Coast, Serving Our People, ELC, Vinnies, the Gold Coast Eisteddfod—these community organisations—and also those who sponsor, like Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the Sea World Foundation, Griffith University, KnG Group, Homecorp and Hutchies. These are all sponsors of these young people in my community to give them better opportunities and better experiences. We also have our program partners, Southern Cross University, Walsh Accountants, Cronin Miller, Experience Gold Coast and TAFE Queensland.

I’m very proud to be the shadow minister for youth and I’ll continue to elevate the voices of young people across the nation—and to learn how to do great selfies! Young people have taught me that over the last three years and I’m now known in the community as the best selfie taker! I’ve now overtaken the member for Surfers Paradise, John-Paul Langbroek.