Thank you for your continued support and engagement over 2024. Its been another big year and myself and the ACYP team are taking a break to enjoy time with family and friends, and we hope you do the same.
In 2024, we consulted with over 7,100 children and young people on a wide variety of issues and topics, including:
Thank you all the children and young people for sharing your voice with us! We look forward to sharing more exciting developments with you in 2025.
On 17 November, the NSW Youth Advisory Council met for their first in-person at the ACYP office in Sydney. During their meeting, they discussed a range of topics and issues affecting young people in their community and across the state.
The members had the opportunity to share their ideas with Minister for Youth, The Hon. Rose Jackson, MLC. They also chose the 2025 NSW Youth Week theme:
I am ….
We are the future. And the future is NOW!
This year’s theme is about:
NSW Youth Week takes place from Monday 9 – Tuesday 17 April 2025.
As a part of their ongoing work and role, the 12 members will also be working with their local council’s youth teams on Youth Week activities. Through this work, they want to better understand the perspectives and real-life experiences of young people from their local community, and advocate for their concerns and needs.
Last month ACYP hosted our Voices of Change event, with the theme ‘Winning your way.’
We were joined by some extraordinary young people, including Noor Azizah, Emma McKeon, Jeff Dunne, Grace Rowe, Bailey Pickles and Noura Hijazi.
The theme explored the idea that winning isn’t what it seems and it can take various forms. It often involves obstacles, hurdles, setbacks and not always glory. Sometimes it is gruelling and it rarely happens “overnight." The wins can be very personal, they can be steps along the way, picking yourself back up or taking a different leap.
We loved hearing from our speakers and what ‘winning’ means to them.
The Australian and New Zealand Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates gathered in Wellington with the incredible team from Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission. With the exchange of knowledge and stories helping Commissioners and Advocates do their jobs better, they were all motivated by one thing - that all children and young people thrive and continue to be “wild and heard” in all places!
The Advocates on tour! 2025 is Zoë Robinson’s last year in her appointed term as Advocate for Children and Young People in NSW. To commemorate her final year, the Advocate and ACYP team will be embarking on a tour across NSW. This is an opportunity for children and young people to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns on the issues that matter most to them.
Complete the form here to invite Zoë to your school, community or service and be a part of the Advocate’s Tour!
In November, the NSW Youth Summit brought together over 100 participants, aged 12-30 from diverse regional and metropolitan communities, backgrounds and life experiences, to talk directly with Ministers about the issues that matter most to them. The ACYP team partnered with Minister for Youth, The Hon. Rose Jackson, MLC, the Office for Regional Youth and the NSW Department of Communities and Justice to support this work.
A Youth Summit Working Group, made up entirely of young people, informed the design of the event. More than 12 Ministers attended the Youth Summit to provide the opportunity for young people to “speak truth to power”.
The Advocate was one of the key decision makers in the breakout session on Belonging in NSW: Inclusion, Diversity and Equity. Other sessions covered cost-of-living pressures, mental health, housing availability, climate change, education and employment. ACYP ensured young people from across the state were able to attend the event and helped facilitate conversations between youth participants and adult decision makers.
In November, the City of Canterbury Bankstown Council, Liverpool City Council and Fairfield City Council worked in partnership to deliver the NSW Youth Council Conference, a bi-annual youth-led event that invites young people across the state to network, build skills and discuss issues that affect them.
More than 100 young people from across NSW attended the three-day conference at Western Sydney University Bankstown Campus to share their ideas and have their voices heard.
Across the first two days, the Advocate and her team delivered presentations and a workshop on how youth council members from across the state can consult and facilitate consultations with young people in the community.
Outcomes from the conference were provided to the Department of Communities and Justice and will inform the three Council’s Youth Action Plans.
On 29 – 30 November, ACYP attended the Schools Spectacular 2024 Spec Fest Event. More than 550 children and young people visited ACYP’s marquee and participated in a range of fun activities and consultations.
Children and young people aged between 4 – 18 years provided valuable feedback regarding their experiences at school, the issues they were worried about and their rights as children living in NSW.
When asked about their biggest worry, children and young people identified bullying, mental health, making friends, anxiety about high school, fitting in and social media.
In September Ballina Council contacted us to support engaging young people who live in the Ballina LGA to participate in the development of their Community Strategic Plan (CSP). The CSP identifies the community’s main priorities and aspirations for the future to promote a positive lifestyle and improve amenities for their residents and visitors. Ballina Council uses this document to guide and inform their decision making and planning for the next ten years. This is the first time that they have engaged young people in this plan.
To ensure their existing council survey was youth-friendly, we asked one of our YAC applicant finalists from Xavier College to set up a co-design session at his school. This allowed the young people to critique the survey designed for adults, and make it easier to read and answer.
The RYSS team submitted their changes to Ballina Council, who received over 400 completed submissions, with a report to be sent to the newly elected Ballina Councillors.
We would like to thank the following schools and organisations for their contributions in empowering young people to use their voice:
As part of the Brighter Beginnings: the first 2000 days of life initiative, the NSW Ministry of Health (MoH) and NSW Department of Education (DoE) have funded free four-year health and development checks in early childhood services.
The Brighter Beginnings Health and Development checks are designed to:
As part of this new initiative, ACYP has partnered with these agencies to incorporate children’s voices into the monitoring and evaluation of this program.
Over the next few months, the ACYP team will be visiting preschools or long day care centres to ask children about their experience of the health and development checks. Doing so will help the NSW Government understand any improvements that could be made to make the process more comfortable for participating children.
In ACYP’s Cost of Living Report, we frequently heard about the challenges faced by young people in the rental market. This includes both entering the rental market and their rights within the system.
The NSW Rental Commission has recently developed a series of resources to provide better information about the rental system, renter’s rights and how to raise a complaint. From how to search for and apply for a property, to moving in and resolving disputes with landlords, these resources seek to educate and clarify this often complicated process.
Read more about the resources available here.
In addition, the NSW Government has recently passed changes to rental laws in the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 (the Act).
From 31 October 2024, a landlord can only increase rent once a year and renters cannot be charged a fee if the landlord requires a background check when applying for a property. In the first half of 2025 additional reforms are expected to start. These include landlords needing a reason to end any form of lease and they must be give the resident an increased notice period before they are evicted. It will also be easier for a renter to have pets in their rental and renters must be given a method to pay their rent electronically without any additional fees.
Read more about these reforms here.
In December, the Advocate appeared at the Standing Committee on Social Issues Inquiry into the Prevalence, Causes and Impacts of Loneliness in New South Wales. Earlier in the year, the Advocate wrote a submission highlighting children and young people’s experience of loneliness and the importance of social connection. The submission highlighted the unique experiences of vulnerable cohorts, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and those in Out-of-Home Care. Children and young people’s sense of disconnection was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic but also recently with the increasing pressures of the cost of living forcing children and young people to make choices about what they can and cannot afford to do. Interestingly, children and young people also raised the role that social media plays in both creating connection but also being an avenue for disconnection and bullying. All of these experiences of loneliness, isolation and disconnection can have profound impacts of a child and young person’s mental health.
Details about the submission and inquiry can be found here.
In October, the Advocate appeared at the Legislative Assembly Committee in Law and Safety Inquiry into community safety in regional and rural communities. The Advocate had previously provided a submission highlighting the experiences of children and young people’ safety in regional and rural areas. Importantly, the submission called for a public health approach to crime over the continued criminalisation of children and young people that is so prevalent in the narrative.
The submission emphasised the overrepresentation of First Nations children and young people in our youth justice system and the critical need for culturally appropriate supports. We recognise that those children and young people who are involved with the criminal justice system often face multi-disadvantages. The submission investigated the trends of youth crime in NSW and the factors that underpin youth crime. The submission called for significant investment in wrap-around supports and legislative reform to improve the justice system.
Further information about the submission and inquiry can be found here.
In October, the Advocate provided a submission to the Senate Standing Committee On Legal and Constitutional Affairs Inquiry into Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration. The submission focused on the outcomes that led to children and young people coming into contact with the criminal justice system and the ongoing impacts that had on their lives. It highlighted the experiences of children and young people within youth justice system, drawing attention to the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people. In discussing these challenges, the submission drew upon our failures as a state and a country to comply with our obligations under international human rights instruments, most importantly those that seek to put the best interest of children and young people at the forefront of decision making. The submission made a number of critical recommendations around early intervention, greater investment and legislative reform that when coordinated will lead to better outcomes for children and young people.
Further information about the submission and inquiry can be found here.
The ‘Your Voice, Our Future’ survey will close on 31 December 2024. If you are aged 14 – 24, the Minister for Youth wants to hear from you.
Please share your views on the important issues facing young people, what services and programs young people need and how government can better involve young people in decision making.
Complete survey here.
The Local Government Youth Development Network working group is currently working on a state-wide advocacy project to highlight the importance and value of local youth services and youth development roles within local councils. They are seeking input from the sector to identify what is working well and the needs of the youth sector across NSW in Government and Not-For-Profit’s. You can contribute to this important work by completing the Local Government Youth Development Network Survey here.
The Minister's Student Council is the peak forum for interaction between NSW public school students, NSW Education, and the NSW Minister for Education.
Students are encouraged to apply and be the voice of all public education students in NSW. Youth members facilitate online student forums and work together with a group of like-minded students advocating for policy change, reporting directly to the Deputy Premier Prue Car.
Apply here.
If you would like to know more about anything in this newsletter or have any questions, please get in touch by emailing us at acyp@acyp.nsw.gov.au.
P: 02 9248 0970
NSW Advocate for Children and Young People
Ground Floor, 219-241 Cleveland Street, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
NSW Advocate for Children and Young People
Locked Bag 5000, PARRAMATTA NSW 2124
The Advocate for Children and Young People is under the DCJ ABN 36 433 875 185.
P: 02 9248 0943 or 0439 346 249
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We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, ACYP is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.
