Youth Advisory Groups (AU0025)

Summary

This commitment deepens engagement with young people and youth policy through youth advisory groups. Under this commitment, the Australian Government will consider alignment with key OGP challenge areas, such as public participation, environment and climate and gender and inclusion, in determining future topics for the youth advisory groups. Through the Office for Youth, advisory groups are selected and created each year to work directly with Australian Government agencies on the development of policies or programs. Each group has a specific area of focus, and both the topics of focus and the partner agencies are annually changed. The youth advisory groups generally work for a 12-month period with their participating Australian Government agency, meeting in-person in Canberra each year before commencing virtual meetings to support the design, development and/or implementation of the policy, program, or initiative they are working on. The Office for Youth convenes and supports the advisory groups and agencies and oversees the program.

Why this commitment is important The youth advisory groups commitment addresses the principles of inclusive participation and accountability, helps address the issue of young people facing barriers to being actively consulted on government decisions that affect them, and will consider alignment of advisory group topics from 2025 with OGP Principles and Challenge Areas. This commitment aims to embed the impact young people have on the decisions that affect their lives, and to encourage Australian Government agencies to work with young people in the development and implementation of policies, programs, and initiatives across a broad range of portfolios. The program commits to enabling young people to have a tangible impact on policies, programs, and initiatives, and from 2025 will embed an assessment of group topics with OGP Principles and Challenge Areas.

Related OGP challenge areas

• Public participation • Civic space

How the impact of this commitment can be measured

The youth advisory groups enable young people to have a tangible impact on the design, implementation and/or delivery of the work program each group is focused on. The Office for Youth assesses the impact that advisory groups have each year on the policy, program, or initiative they are working on by supporting: • participating agencies to report on the impact that the youth advisory group had on the policy, program, or initiative they have worked on. • advisory group members to report on how they feel their advice has been listened to and their advice acted upon over the course of the program. Other relevant information e.g. inquiries, research work being undertaken The Office for Youth has been established as a dedicated unit in the Department of Education to support the contribution of young people and advocates, improve and harmonise youth policy across government and ensure the government is communicating effectively with young people. In addition to running the youth advisory groups, the Office for Youth is working with Australian Government agencies, sector stakeholders and young people to develop a Youth Engagement Strategy which will be released in 2024. The Youth Engagement Strategy will facilitate coordination of whole-of-government engagement with young people and entrench the Australian Government’s engagement with young people in the development of policies and programs that affect them.

Milestones

2.1 Topic selection and membership announcement 2024 youth advisory group topic selection, and topics and membership announced

2.2 Inaugural 2024 in-person meeting

2.3 2024 youth advisory groups virtual meetings

2.4 Topic selection and membership announcement 2025 youth advisory group topic selection, and topics and membership announced

2.5 End of year reports 2024 youth advisory group end of term program reporting

2.6 Inaugural 2025 in-person meeting

2.7 2025 youth advisory groups virtual meetings

2.8 Topic selection and membership announcement 2026 youth advisory group topic selection, and topics and membership announced

2.9 End of year reports 2025 youth advisory group end of term program reporting

2.10 Inaugural 2026 in-person meeting

Action Plan Review

Commitment 2. Youth Advisory Groups