News

3 June 2026

On 20 May, high-school students from across Warringah came together for Have Your Say Day 2026, which is a youth led civics consultation event that is supported by Northern Beaches Council, Stella Maris College and the New South Wales Office for Youth. I was delighted to attend and hear directly from students about the issues shaping their lives and the practical solutions they want us as decision-makers to take seriously. Federal politics needs a lot more events like Have Your Say Day. It's part of how members of parliament can listen and genuinely better connect with young people and emerging leaders in our communities. As I often say, if you're not at the table, you're on the menu. Whether you like politics or not, politics is in your life because the decisions we make in this place will shape the opportunities and the prospects of your life as you go on.

Students discussed complex local, state and federal issues with confidence, thoughtfulness and responsibility. Students made clear that unreliable transport in the Northern Beaches is affecting school, work, safety and their independence. We heard about delayed, cancelled and overcrowded buses; long commutes; students being left without safe options late at night; and the need for more frequent routes. Students spoke powerfully about mental health, school pressure, uncertainty about the future, stigma about asking for help and the importance of safe third spaces where young people can connect outside home and school.

They raised their concerns about cost of living and housing with honesty. Many fear they will work hard and still never be able to buy a home or live and remain in the Northern Beaches where they grew up. They also raised the government's changes and current debate on the changes to capital gains tax. Whilst they welcomed the prospect of housing being more affordable, they relayed frustration about the proposed changes when it came to shares and ETFs, which many have seen as a pathway to building a financial buffer and independence. Their message was clear: young people are not disengaged; too often politics is disengaged from them.

Have Your Say Day represents the best of Warringah's young people: thoughtful, constructive and ready to contribute. But if we want young people to keep showing up, engaging and believing their voice matters governments must show that listening leads to practical action on the pressures shaping their future, including the fairness around issues like student debt, for example. So many of those high-school students worry about the debt they will incur at university. We know the government can fix the unfair timing of HECS indexation by moving the indexation date to after compulsory repayments are credited to student loan accounts. That is just one way the government can genuinely act on the concerns of young people.