The Youth Representative will travel around Australia to speak with young people from all walks of life, taking their voice to the United Nations in New York.

Young people are the agents, beneficiaries and victims of social, economic, environmental, legal and technological change. Whether young people seek to be integrated into the existing society, or serve to transform that society, they deserve to have their views represented and acted upon. In addition to their intellectual contribution and their ability to mobilise support, young people bring unique perspectives that can help find solutions to the many problems they face now and in the future.

As justice between present and future generations is recognised as the fundamental base of sustainable development, young people should participate in the decisions made today about the world they will inherit and pass on to the next generation. The Youth Representative also gives a far greater legitimacy to the Australian Government and the United Nations in general, when claiming to represent “We the peoples...”

The broad goal of a Youth Representative should be to ensure that the voice of youth is heard and to draw the attention of Member States to young people and their concerns. Young people must be recognised not only as future leaders, but as active members of their communities today.