Western Australian Youth Parliament - National Indigenous Youth Parliament

National Indigenous Youth Parliament

To mark the 50th anniversary of Indigenous Australians obtaining the right to vote, the Museum of Australian Democracy, YMCA, and Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) collaborated on a week long event in May 2012 for the first "National Indigenous Youth Parliament" (NIYP).

Participants were up to 25 years old and were selected from a group of more than 180 people for their leadership skills and interest in the parliamentary process. Each state and territory had six representatives; Torres Strait Islands had two representatives at the parliamentary event. They spent one week in Canberra and learned about the process of making laws, public speaking and fielding inquiries from the media. The State News Service reported that "The Bills passed by the Youth Parliament will then be presented to Government representatives for consideration in developing policies."

A video commemorating the event followed the experiences of participants of the event, including a 2 day parliamentary session at the Old Parliamentary House in Canberra. Of the event that taught participants about workings of the parliamentary process, one of the participants, Jaleesa Donovan, stated that she felt that she gained leadership skills and motivation to help her in her relationships and future as a community member and worker.

The youth met the prime minister, Parliament members, indigenous community members and the media. Tom Rogers, Acting Electoral Commissioner, said: "The young participants have returned to their communities to share their NIYP experiences and skills, and we look forward to seeing them again, who knows, perhaps as elected Members of Parliament."